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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775922">Corntober 2020</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buki_writes/pseuds/Buki_writes'>Buki_writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Assassination Classroom, Haikyuu!!, Hunter X Hunter, Original Work, Voltron: Legendary Defender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, 約束のネバーランド | Yakusoku no Neverland | The Promised Neverland (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Akabane Karma Needs a Hug, Alcohol, Alluka being the goddess she is, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Alternate Universe - Sports, Anger, Angry Kaminari Denki, Angst, Anxiety, Arguing, Art, Artist Killua, Athletes, Attempt at Humor, Author Is Sleep Deprived, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Uraraka Ochako, BAMFs, BUT NOT REALLY XD, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings, Bakusquad Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Barista Gon, Bass Guitarist Ray, Bathrooms, Bisexual Disaster Kaminari Denki, Bisexual Kaminari Denki, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood and Injury, Blushing, Boys Kissing, Bruises, Bully Bakugou Katsuki, Bullying, But not in a sexual way - Freeform, Cameos, Chaos, Chatting &amp; Messaging, Comedy, Confidence, Conspiracy Theories, Corntober, Cowboy Keith (Voltron), Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Cute Ending, Cute Eri (My Hero Academia), Dentists, Drinking, Drummer Don, Embarrassed Bakugou Katsuki, Embarrassment, F/F, F/M, Fame, Family Dinners, Fashionable Killua, Female Friendship, Fights, First Kiss, Football | Soccer, French Kissing, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Panic, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Guitarist Norman, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I love Eri, I love Uraraka Ochako, I only know how to write angst I’m sorry, I think I’m funny but idk, Ice Cream Parlors, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Music, Kaminari Denki is a Dork, Keith messing with Lance, Keyboardist Gilda, Kings &amp; Queens, Kissing, Kozume Kenma is So Done, Kurapika is SO DONE with Karen’s, Kuroo is a little shit, Lance (Voltron) Speaks Spanish, Lance and Keith are oblivious, Late Night Conversations, Like, Lots, M/M, Meet-Cute, Melody is a good friend, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Midoriya Izuku Snaps, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Misgendering, Music, Musicians, Nagisa being Nagisa, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Original Female Character, Parental Kurapika (Hunter X Hunter), Party, Party Games, Pick-Up Lines, Pillow &amp; Blanket Forts, Pining Kaminari Denki, Prompt Fic, Public Humiliation, Recycled writing is great, Reunions, Rough Kissing, Royalty, Running, Sad and Sweet, Sassy Kurapika (Hunter X Hunter), Servants, Shenanigans, Singer Emma, Singer Jirou Kyouka, Skateboarding, Slytherin, Slytherin Common Room, Strong Female Characters, Swearing, Tags May Change, Texting, The Walking Dead References, Training, Truth or Dare, Twerking, Uraraka Ochako is a Good Significant Other, Useless Lesbians, Vampires, Video &amp; Computer Games, Virtual Reality, Volleyball, War, Whipped Cream, Wisdom Teeth, Witches, XD I can’t believe that’s a tag, Yaku Morisuke is So Done, and it happens that Jirou and Momo are huge lesbians, anxiety??, bc I’m tired, i lied all of this sucks, its great, karen customer, kurapika wins all the bets, leorio needs to learn that kurapika is always right, like Midoriya publicly DRAGS Bakugou, like honestly, lots of PDA, lots of cameos dude, not boku no pico style you freak, please don’t read any of it, they’re also super gay so, uraraka ochako swears a lot, we love Meoldy, we support wlw in this house, wlw, yeah it’s great</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:28:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>63,363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buki_writes/pseuds/Buki_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I’ve decided to take part in Corntober this year and this is what I’ve come up with! Each day of October will bring a new prompt and a new chapter—the tags and fandoms may or may not change depending on the prompt. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akabane Karma &amp; Shiota Nagisa, Alluka Zoldyck &amp; Killua Zoldyck, Ashido Mina &amp; Bakugou Katsuki &amp; Kaminari Denki &amp; Kirishima Eijirou &amp; Sero Hanta, Asui Tsuyu/Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki &amp; Original Character(s), Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Don &amp; Gilda (The Promised Neverland), Emma &amp; Norman &amp; Ray (The Promised Neverland), Emma (The Promised Neverland) &amp; Everyone, Gon Freecs &amp; Alluka Zoldyck &amp; Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs &amp; Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs &amp; Kurapika &amp; Leorio Paladiknight &amp; Killua Zoldyck, Hunk &amp; Lance &amp; Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk &amp; Pidge | Katie Holt, Ikalgo &amp; Killua Zoldyck, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Keith &amp; Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Kozume Kenma &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma &amp; Nekoma Volleyball Club, Kurapika &amp; Leorio Paladiknight, Kuroo Tetsurou &amp; Nekoma Volleyball Club, Lance &amp; Pidge | Katie Holt, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Original Female Character(s) &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Soccer Matches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Alrighty, y’all better be ready for this! For the first day, the prompt is: <b>Star Athlete</b>!</p><p>Because I know nothing of sports, I hope this isn’t absolutely terrible :)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains characters from HunterxHunter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This game is the biggest so far this season; everything is riding on the outcome. Our title of state champions for the past six years rests on the eleven players currently rushing down the bright green field.</p><p>The soccer stadium used by the college team has been taken over in order to hold the championships and, since the game is being held during the day on a Saturday, students of the high school, middle school, and even elementary schoolers with their families have packed into the stands to watch. On the left half of the stadium is where my school is located, the many students in the Hunter school district forming a giant mass in the stands. On the right is where our opponents, the Phantom Troupe, have their supporters gathered.</p><p>Currently, it’s well into the second and final half of the game and we’re tied at one goal each. My breath is coming in labored pants from running up and down the field countless times, but I don’t dare stop for a moment—the game can be decided in the spit second it takes me to draw a deep inhale.</p><p>“Killua! Number five is coming towards you!” Colt calls out as I see the player—Phinks I think is his name—barreling towards me.</p><p>“Got it!” I shout back, pressing forwards and closing the distance between us. I slide across the field in order to kick the ball out from between his feet and over towards where Leol is waiting.</p><p>Leol travels a bit, passing it to Welfin before long when number eleven—Uvogin—tries to steal the ball. We’re just across the center line, heading towards the goal. There’s two minutes on the clock and our opponents are down a player. This game could go either way, but we’re not going to let it go easily.</p><p>“Rammot! They’re going your way!” I shout, following behind as the ball is passed back and forth across the field, creeping closer towards the goal. There’s about forty yards left, the distance passing by in a flash.</p><p>Then, in an attempt to pass to Rammot, Welfin overestimates and sends the ball out of play. The referee blows their whistle and I slow to a stop. We’re on our side of the field and I see Alluka holding her pom poms high in encouragement. A shout rings out and I can immediately identify who it came from.</p><p>“Go Killua! Win the game and show these losers who the Hunters are!” Leorio yells, and I see him standing in front of the railing for the stands. Kurapika is managing to keep Gon from climbing on the railing but must have been too distracted to silence the man.</p><p>I laugh before responding. “Come on Leorio, would I really let this game end in a tie?”</p><p>Just after I’ve finished shouting, the referee turns the ball over to the other team to throw in. Number six, Shalnark, takes the ball and stands just behind the line. He raises both hands over his head before throwing the ball as far as he can towards number two—Feitan.</p><p>Feitan jumps up and uses his chest to receive the ball, causing it to fall at his feet before dashing off down the field. All our progress is reversed and I’m left racing down the field once more in an attempt to retrieve the ball once more. I risk a glance at the clock and see it ticking away just barely over a minute. The game will end in a tie if we don’t hurry.</p><p>“Cheetu!” Someone shouts, “Get it!”</p><p>Cheetu steals the ball and we switch directions again, making the mad dash towards the goal. He passes it to Bloster, who then kicks it down to where Ikalgo is waiting twenty yards from the goal. Ikalgo jumps up and bumps his shoulder into the ball to stop it as I race past, locking gazes with him on the way. He nods and I smirk, knowing what’s to come. There’s less than thirty seconds left on the clock, but that will be enough.</p><p>I pass through the 18-yard box and turn so my back is to the goal and I’m facing Ikalgo. He kicks the ball and it’s aimed straight for my face, but I jump and raise my foot at the last second, connecting my foot to the ball and propelling it past me and into the goal. My back crashes into the ground with a <i>thud</i> just as the ball makes it in. The goalie—Chrollo Lucifer, the second best goalie in the prefecture behind our own—leaps for the ball but it’s passed through by the time he’s in range to stop it.</p><p>A massive cheer breaks out and only the thundering of my heart can be heard over the noise. Ikalgo helps me up before my teammates are crashing into me, clapping me on the back and yelling their praise. The clock is down to ten seconds and the crowd counts down to the end. There’s not enough time for a final play and the Phantom Troupe is hanging their heads in defeat. The sight just fills me with more ecstasy.</p><p>With the clock going off to signal the end of the game, the extra players and coach rush onto the field to gather in a circle around me. Alluka and the other cheerleaders join the circle and she gives me a hug, bright smile so wide it seems to split her face in half. The crowd is going wild in the stands, shouting and whistling up a storm.</p><p>“Brother! I’m so proud of you!” Alluka calls over the crowd. My heart swells at the words and I give her my own smile in return. Then, I’m lifted on the shoulders of Cheetu and Colt.</p><p>From my new perch, I can see Leorio, Gon, and Kurapika against the railing of the stands. Leorio is using both pinkies to whistle and Gon is standing on the middle bar of the railing and is waving both hands wildly. Kurapika has one hand behind Gon in case he falls and the other is over his ear to muffle out Leorio’s loud whistle beside him. I lock eyes with Gon and the boy smiles even wider than Alluka had, light seeming to radiate from him at the action.</p><p>“Killua!” Gon shouts, arms pausing in their waving to stop stretched above his head.</p><p>I raise a fist into the air in celebration and the team below me sends up a cheer. “We’re the soccer champions!”</p><p>I’m set down a few moments later so we can accept the trophy, our goalie, Meruem, raising it above his head in an act of triumph. We’re standing before the stands and I’m next to Meruem and Ikalgo—front and center. The cheering that had begun to settle picks right back up again and I raise my own voice to join the others. I close my eyes to drink up the moment and when I open them, I see a figure lunging towards me from over the railing. Kurapika has seemed to let one loose.</p><p>A body crashes into mine and sends us both tumbling over, my back crashing into the soft grass of the field once more. I can’t help the smile that forms on my lips when my electric blue eyes meet chocolate brown.</p><p>“Killua! You did it!” Gon calls, much too loud from where he’s still laying on top of me. I blush upon noticing how he’s sitting on my waist with his arms caging my head in, but manage to return the focus to the game we just won.</p><p>I offer a wide smile to the boy above me. “Yeah!”</p><p>And if my heart could swell any more, it would have burst with the radiant smile Gon gives back. There can’t be anything better than this moment.</p><p>BONUS:</p><p>I stand corrected, apparently.</p><p>After we took pictures and celebrated for an hour after the game, I was allowed to part from the team to join my friends. Kurapika suggested ice cream and my stomach was grumbling the entire way to the parlor. Thankfully, Kurapika has a large enough car for all of us and enough patience to deal with all of our chaos.</p><p>“I’m so excited! First Killua wins the soccer championship, and now we’re getting ice cream!” Gon calls excitedly. He hasn’t stopped smiling since tackling me on the field, but nobody can really blame him.</p><p>“You deserve it brother, you were amazing!” Alluka agrees, offering her own smile.</p><p>“Hey, I was the one to pass to him!” Ikalgo complains, faking a pout.</p><p>“You too Ikalgo! You were so good!” Alluka praises. Ikalgo just about goes red and I laugh at him.</p><p>“Come on, everyone knows we’re an unbeatable duo,” I comment, snatching the hat from Ikalgo’s head and holding it over his head as he tries to reach for it.</p><p>“I guess you’re right. You would be nothing without me!” He muses after getting his hat back. I roll my eyes at him but a small smirk plays at my lips at the same time.</p><p>“We’re here! Look Killua, we’re here!” Gon suddenly chirps, pointing out the window towards the ice cream parlor we’re pulling up to. Kurapika expertly parks the car and we’re all allowed to climb out.</p><p>“Come on, I wanna see what flavors they have!” Gon says as he grabs my hand and rushes into the building, causing the bell over the door to ring. He rushes us over to the counter and presses both hands into the glass over the ice cream.</p><p>“Gon! Slow down,” Kurapika calls from behind us, “you can’t just go running across the parking lot!”</p><p>“What a responsible mother,” Ikalgo mutters as he walks up beside me, Alluka giggling from my other side.</p><p>“I heard that. And just remember, I’m the one getting ice cream and driving you home,” Kurapika replies from behind us. Ikalgo’s eyes go wide and he stutters out an apology.</p><p>I look over at Gon who has moved down the display to look at each flavor equally. I already know what I want from coming here in the past, so I decide to skip the display and walk over to Gon’s side as he continues scanning each ice cream flavor.</p><p>“Killua… I can’t decide! They all look so good!” Gon whines, throwing his head back and pouting in defeat. I flick his forehead and he yelps and rubs the spot with a hand.</p><p>“Baka, just get two scoops. I’m getting blue moon,” I say, walking past him with my hands behind my head.</p><p>Gon huffs, “Will you share with me?”</p><p>“Huh? Why do I need to share!” I squawk in surprise. If there is a blush rising on my cheeks, I’m choosing to ignore it.</p><p>“Gon, why don’t you get a double scoop and then everyone else will get different flavors. We’ll all share so everyone can taste a bunch of ice cream,” Kurapika suggests, seemingly appearing out of nowhere to place a hand on Gon’s shoulder.</p><p>“Okay, Kurapika!” He’s grinning again and bounding off towards the order counter where a smiling employee is waiting.</p><p>Everyone quickly decides on what they want and places an order, the employee trying to keep up with the six of us. But soon enough, all of us have our ice cream and the employee is announcing our total for Kurapika.</p><p>“Your total is $25.67,” the employee states, looking at Kurapika expectantly.</p><p>“Leorio, did you hear that?” Kurapika asks, spinning on where the man has his spoon halfway to his mouth. I snicker when he halts his movement to gape at Kurapika.</p><p>“What? Why do I have to pay!” He calls, jaw still laying on the floor.</p><p>“I told you in the car that I forgot my wallet at home. What did you expect? Besides, you’re always bragging about how much money you have, so what’s the big deal?”</p><p>“Just because I have enough money to buy ice cream doesn’t mean I should have to!”</p><p>“Leorio, hon, give them the money so we can eat. I specifically told you in the car that I didn’t have my wallet with me.” With that, Kurapika grabs his ice cream from the counter and walks away, leaving a dumbfounded Leorio in his wake.</p><p>Leorio grumbles but sets down his ice cream to pay anyways, handing over thirty dollars and putting the extra change into the tip jar. I follow after Kurapika towards a table, pulling out a seat and sitting down.</p><p>“You kids can have this table, us ‘<i>parents</i>’ will be sitting by ourselves at our own table.” Ikalgo visibly flinches at Kurapika’s words as he takes the seat across from mine. Gon takes my left with Alluka on my right, both immediately scooping a large spoonful of ice cream into their mouths.</p><p>“Mmm! It’s really good!” Gon coos, smiling with ice cream still in his mouth.</p><p>“That’s a nice view,” Ikalgo teases, spoon pressed against his lips. I roll my eyes at the both of them and go in for a bite of my own ice cream. It’s exactly as I wanted and I hum slightly in delight.</p><p>“Killua, open up!” Gon says as his spoon raises towards me, a large scoop of Rocky Road nearly falling off of it.</p><p>“Wait, Gon-” I manage before the spoon is shoved in my mouth to cut me off. There’s a moment when the cold ice cream is the only thing that goes through my mind, but soon the image of Gon putting his own lips on the spoon in my mouth has a raging blush heating my face. If I could actually light on fire, I probably would have.</p><p>Gon giggles at my reaction. “It’s good, right?”</p><p>I take the time to swallow the ice cream and force the cold temperature to cool off my cheeks before I’m able to respond. I allow a smile to form on my lips as I look back at him.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s good.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so if you read all of that, I hope it wasn’t too horrible XD Sports are not really my thing, but I hope you’ll stick with this story to see how my writing improves when I’m a bit more in my comfort zone :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Animal Science 202</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt is: <b>Uni Class Lewks</b>! By the way, lewks is slang for looks, something I had to look up XD</p><p>Anyways, I’m much happier with this chapter, I’m back in my little slice-of-life groove and the words were flowing much better. I hope you enjoy! (This is another HxH chapter)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Every weekday, like clockwork, Gon walks into the Animal Science 202 lecture hall with Kite-sensei at exactly 9:50 and sits in the middle of the second row. He sets down his backpack, places his notebook and folder for the class in front of him before grabbing his computer out and placing it off the side. Then, he waits four minutes for the other man to arrive.</p><p>And, every weekday right on time, is the gorgeous white haired man. He walks in, sporting a new outfit that perfectly highlights each and every beautiful aspect of his, and sits on the farthest seat to the right in the first row. And today is no different for either, of course.</p><p>Today the white haired man has light jeans with rips in the knees, a plain white shirt loosely fitting his torso, a large yellow flannel over the top, and a grey sweatshirt tied around his waist. On his feet are stark white shoes seemingly too clean to have been worn out in the fall weather. He’s got headphones in as he walks across the front of the room towards his seat and Gon notices two bandaids that weren’t there yesterday—a pink bandaid going vertically down his jawline and an orange one over the bridge of his nose.</p><p>Gon doesn’t know his name, seeing as he hardly ever talks in class, and he only sees him outside of class if they happen to stop by the school convenience store at the same time. They’ve never talked, and Gon somehow wishes they would, but he knows that if he tried, it would probably end in disaster. So he continues to sit in his seat and watch the other man unpack his own supplies before taking out his phone for the last five minutes before class. Gon decides that he’ll do the same.</p><p>
  <b>Sushi Man</b><br/>
<i>rio dont forget to turn off all the lights when u leave<br/>
cause i swear if i get back n theyre all on again<br/>
im gonna smack u</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Mr. Lay-Oreo</b><br/>
<i>jeez no need to be aggressive<br/>
besides that was only one time</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Sushi Man</b><br/>
<i>it was way more than one time<br/>
its a good thing we dont have to pay bills for dorms<br/>
otherwise ud be in even bigger debt than normal</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Mr. Lay-Oreo</b><br/>
<i>i’d like to say that i am the one with the most money out of all of us<br/>
so if you’re calling me broke<br/>
you need to take a good look at yourself</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Me</b><br/>
<i>hey!! no fighting!!!<br/>
besides aren’t you supposed to be in lectures right now??<br/>
and mine is about to start soon, so please be quiet!!!<br/>
I can’t let Kite-sensei hear my phone go off<br/>
he barely lets me audio record the lectures for studying :((</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Sushi Man</b><br/>
<i>yeah yeah we get it<br/>
dont forget to take a picture of that cute guy when u get a chance</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Me</b><br/>
<i>Zushi!!!</i>
</p><p>
  <b>Sushi Man</b><br/>
<i>;)</i>
</p><p>Kite-sensei walks into class just as Gon receives Zushi’s message and Gon immediately silences his phone and goes to the audio recorder app to prepare for the class. If he hadn’t gotten permission to record the lectures to play back when he’s trying to study, Gon would be doing much worse in this class. He also wouldn’t be able to let his gaze wander and his mind get clogged with thoughts of the beautiful man not far off—not that Gon would ever get caught staring.</p><p>However, much to Gon’s unknowing, the white haired man knew all about Gon’s staring problem. He knew the man’s eyes were always on him when he entered class and he knew that he would periodically let his gaze fall on him throughout the lecture. He knew much more than he let on, truly, but he was fine with letting it stay that way. In all honesty, he liked the attention, even if he did sometimes with that the other man would try to talk to him at some point.</p><p>Obviously, Killua picked up on the other man’s staring on the first day of class numerous weeks ago. He had felt his warm brown eyes resting on him since day one but refused to let it slip for fear that he would stop looking so often. Killua cherished that gaze and wanted nothing more than to have it always be focused on him. To say that Killua was fond of Gon was a slight understatement.</p><p>Killua figured that Gon found him attractive, figured it was the reason behind his constant staring. But Killua couldn’t help but feel attracted to him as well. With his large brown eyes that glittered in the fluorescent lights and the way he stuck his tongue out when concentrating on taking notes. His black hair that almost seemed green around the edges and his casual but effortless outfits that suited him perfectly. Killua also had a staring problem, he just knew how to hide it better.</p><p>Due to his spot in the first row with Gon sitting in the row behind him, Killua had to find a way to also look at Gon without turning in his seat to do so. And he found the perfect solution. Kite-sensei has them take notes by hand, but allows them to have their computers out in case they need to use them for any given reason. Killua’s reason is to stare at Gon. He has his computer open, but the screen is black due to inactivity, and he uses the reflection on the screen to his advantage by placing his computer on his left and angling the screen back just far enough to get Gon’s face in frame. Then, whenever Killua pleases, he can stare right back at Gon. Truly, a perfect plan.</p><p>And that remains their relationship, just two men who stare at each other without ever catching the other in the act—at least Gon thinks he hasn’t been caught. It’s almost funny how oblivious they are towards each other, even as their eyes always find the other. Both are fine with things staying the same as they are now, but neither can deny the feeling of wanting <i>more</i> at the same time.</p><p>But Kite-sensei walks into the room and yet another chance at conversation between the two is missed; each day is a new opportunity, and each day that opportunity is never taken. Kite-sensei promptly starts class and neither man can focus any longer on the other when their professor starts talking. So it remains, their secret dance, both waiting for the other to take the lead.</p><p>~</p><p>An hour and a half later, the lecture is over. Gon cleans up his supplies and stands from his seat, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. The white haired man walks across the room and out the door, Gon sneaking a photo or two in before he disappears. Gon then walks down the row and then out of the room, heading back to his dorm for lunch. He hopes that Leorio and Zushi are back already and saved him some ramen, but he hasn’t been so lucky in the past. Perhaps he’ll stop by the cafeteria to snag a chicken wrap or some pizza.</p><p>Gon sighs as he walks out of the doors to the building his class was held in, deciding that the cafeteria would be a better bet than his roommates. And so he trudged on, down the campus towards the sprawling building with students pouring in and out of the doors. The cafeteria is bustling as he enters, which comes to a surprise to exactly no one. Gon tries to quickly get something and leave, but a flash of white has him lingering for a moment.</p><p>For as packed as the cafeteria is, especially just before noon, it’s common to see people you know wandering around. And really, Gon should have expected no less, but somehow the universe just loves to go out of its way to surprise him. And that’s how he’s come directly face-to-face with the captivating white haired man from class, both reaching for the same chicken wrap. Gon just stares openly, the man’s beauty seeming to increase upon closer inspection.</p><p>“U-um…” the man trails off, electric blue eyes going from their hands to Gon’s face. And Gon’s breath certainly doesn’t hitch when their eyes meet, of course. He’s also got control of his heart beat and his brain hasn’t malfunctioned at all. Gon is a perfectly normal adult, as always.</p><p>“Sorry! You can have it! I’ll get a different one!” Gon says back, just this side of too loud and too quick. His composure is long gone, and Gon gives up on denying it.</p><p>“Uh, thanks,” he says, grabbing the wrap and placing it on his plastic tray. Gon swallows thickly, trying and failing to regain himself. The man just watches him with wide, calculating eyes.</p><p>“I think you’re in my Animal Science class… right?” He asks and Gon nods dumbly, eyes still refusing to leave electric blue.</p><p>“Yeah, with Kite-sensei. We just got out.” He gets a hum in reply.</p><p>“I’m Killua, by the way. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow for class.” With that, the white haired man—Killua—walks away and leaves Gon standing awkwardly by himself.</p><p>“Killua…” Gon says, tasting the way the name sounds on his tongue. He decides he likes it, very much so. He takes another moment to finally recollect all the shattered pieces of his composure before snatching the last wrap and going to pay for the food. Zushi and Leorio will no doubt be wondering what took him so long.</p><p>~</p><p>“You actually talked to him? I don’t believe it!” Zushi calls to him once Gon relays the last half hour to his roommates. Gon groans in defeat around a bite of his lunch.</p><p>“I made an idiot of myself. I just stood there while he tried to talk to me!”</p><p>“Don’t worry Gon, now you at least know his name, right? Now all that’s left is to make a move!” Leorio encourages, clapping a hand on his back. It only partially works—mainly because Gon knows he’ll never be able to look at the man again after their introduction.</p><p>“Come on Gon, don’t overthink things. You hardly ever think in the first place, rather you run head first into things without a single care in the world,” Zushi comments.</p><p>“I know, but like, he’s just so perfect! There’s no way I could just walk up and talk to him!”</p><p>“Uh… isn’t that how normal people have conversations? What’s so difficult about that?”</p><p>Gon huffs again. “You don’t understand.”</p><p>Zushi rolls his eyes at Gon while Leorio gives him a sympathetic look before stuffing his face with chips. That image makes any try for sympathy fall flat. Gon suppresses the urge to groan and bury his head in his hands and decides to finish his lunch instead.</p><p>“Hey, by the way… you never did show us what he was wearing today. Honestly, seeing your crush on this guy is one of my favorite parts of lunch,” Zushi comments, sending Gon a sly smile. Gon allows himself to groan and bury his head in his hands this time, to which Zushi just cackles like the evil person he is.</p><p>“You know what? Fine,” Gon says, digging out his phone and going into his photos. Leorio whistles and Zushi nods in appreciation when Gon swipes through the pictures. Gon can’t help but feel the slightest bit of pride swirl in his chest at the thought finally knowing his name.</p><p><i>Killua, huh?</i> Gon thinks to himself after the conversation topic has been switched to one not focused on the disaster of his love life and lack thereof. <i>Yeah, I could get used to that name.</i></p><p>~</p><p>“It’s really not that funny!” Killua shouts at Ikalgo who has just about fallen out of his bunk with laughter after hearing about Killua’s ‘meet-cute’ with Gon in the dining hall.</p><p>“Killua, it is kinda funny, you have to admit,” Kurapika comments, his own sly smirk quickly hidden with a raise of his coffee mug.</p><p>“You guys are insufferable! I can’t believe I chose to room with you instead of by myself!” Killua all but growls, turning his nose up into the air. Kurapika snorts and Ikalgo wipes a tear from his eye, finally finished with his laughing.</p><p>“Killua I just… I can’t believe you! You got a <i>salad wrap</i> for lunch because you saw him reaching for one. And then… then he just stared at you!” Ikalgo crows, and Killua twitches in anger.</p><p>“Yeah, so what? When we were in high school, you bought that one girl lunch <i>everyday</i> because you liked her. And multiple people told you that she was just using you for free food,” Killua says, snapping at his best friend.</p><p>Ikalgo immediately sobers up and glares at him. “That was a low blow, man.”</p><p>Killua just shrugs before picking up the wrap he got and taking a bite out of it. It’s not bad—quite the opposite actually—but nothing beats a lunch of pizza, chips, and chocolate robots. He’s healthy, obviously.</p><p>“Well at least you didn’t accidentally run into him with your skateboard. It could have always been worse,” Kurapika says, shrugging at him.</p><p>Killua thinks on that for a moment, ultimately agreeing. It would have been so much worse, and he didn’t want Alluka to fret over him falling off his skateboard two days in a row. He’s got bright bandaids to show from her efforts yesterday when he hit a rock and landed gracelessly. He’s glad the four on his right arm and five on his left arm are covered by his flannel so he can save at least a small bit of dignity.</p><p>“He’s that one you always dress up for, right? Even though you don’t care about what you look like for literally any other class,” Ikalgo asks, out of spite and curiosity. Killua immediately blushes and frowns at him.</p><p>“Yeah, Gon. I’m still not sure why though, you really don’t have to try so hard for college classes,” Kurapika adds, waving the spoon he’s using for ramen at him.</p><p>“I happen to like wearing decent outfits! Unlike you two—especially Ikalgo—that wear pretty much whatever they find in their drawers first. And it’s not just for him,” Killua says, his tone defensive as he crosses his arms over his chest.</p><p>“I’ve never even seen this dude, but I’m sure that he doesn’t care if you look like a worm or a runway model. If he stares at you so much, you probably don’t have to try to get his attention by wearing something fancy.”</p><p>“I don’t want to look like a worm! I happen to like looking like a ‘runway model,’ thank you very much. Besides, don’t you both have a class in like, ten minutes?”</p><p>Ikalgo and Kurapika turn at the same time to check the digital clock on the wall, scrambling to get up and grab their things and rush out the door as quickly as they can.</p><p>“Hey, fuck you by the way,” Kurapika yells over his shoulder as he walks out the door, “because you know we rely on you to make sure we leave on time.”</p><p>With that final statement, he closes the door behind him. Killua is left alone in their suite to finish his lunch. He decides to take this time to think about the way Gon’s brown eyes seemed even better up close.</p><p>~</p><p>The next day in class, when Gon arrives to class, he’s surprised to see Killua already there. He’s talking and laughing with another guy in their class that usually sits a row behind Gon. Something like jealousy swirls in Gon’s stomach that makes his breakfast churn uncomfortably, and makes him want to do something stupid. So he follows Zushi’s advice from the previous day to stop overthinking and lets his feet carry him over to the duo.</p><p>“… of course, Meruem! I don’t mind at all,” he hears Killua say as he gets within earshot.</p><p>“Hey, Killua! Sorry to interrupt, but I just thought I’d say good morning,” Gon calls out, waving and offering a wide smile to the man. He effectively cut off whatever that guy--Meruem apparently--was about to say and he can feel himself smirk on the inside.</p><p>“Oh, Gon. Uh, good morning,” Killua says in surprise, turning to where he’s finally stopped and offering a small smile in return.</p><p>“This your friend, Killua? Guess I’ll leave you to it,” Meruem says before walking off to his seat. That ugly jealousy seems to disappear instantly and Gon is left in shock before the beautiful man. He really needs to start thinking a little bit before doing dumb things.</p><p>“Anyways, I just thought I’d say good morning. And sorry about the cafeteria incident yesterday, I didn’t mean to steal your lunch,” he manages to say, surprising himself with his calm tone as his mind seems to have shut off again and butterflies have taken over his stomach.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Killua chuckles lightly, and Gon just about dies. Thankfully, his heart only skips three beats and begins running a marathon instead of stopping completely. Killua has the laugh of an angel, and Gon wants to hear it on repeat for the rest of his life.</p><p>“Uh, okay then.” Gon internally smacks himself for making things awkward. He’s glad Killua doesn’t look affected.</p><p>“Hey, um, I was wondering if I could get your number? I’m going to be gone next week Tuesday and I’ll need the notes for class. Would you be willing to send them to me?” Killua asks, that small, perfect smile on his pink lips. Gon wonders what they feel like. He immediately stops thinking.</p><p>“Yeah! That’s fine!” He says, a bit louder than necessary. If Killua noticed, he didn’t show it. Gon decides to stop talking and hand his phone over instead. If he opens his mouth one more time this morning, he’s sure he’ll end up making an even bigger fool of himself.</p><p>~</p><p>“You owe me thirty bucks,” Kurapika says smuggly, palm face up and waiting.</p><p>“Damn you, Gon. Why couldn’t you make the first move?” Leorio mutters to himself as he digs out his wallet and searches for the money. But really, should he truly have expected to win a bet against Kurapika? That man always seems to win and he really needs to remember that before he runs out of money to bet.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was thinking about drawing out Killua in his outfit, would you be willing to see that? Would you be interested? I leave it up to you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Oblivious Lev</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, this prompt is a bit NSFW, but nothing is really shown or anything, it’s just kinda implied. Today’s prompt is: <b>Dirty Pick-up Lines</b>!</p><p>This chapter features our favorite Nekoma boys from Haikyuu!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuroo was having a great day at volleyball practice and it was still early in the morning. Of course, any practice where Kenma was present was good, but this one blew that out of the water. Mostly because Kuroo had spent three hours the night before memorizing pick-up lines to use on the setter. The best part? They weren’t exactly clean.</p><p>“You’re so hot, my zipper is falling for you,” Kuroo says while they stretch, Kenma’s bored eyes not changing a bit.</p><p>“Kuro, you’re wearing volleyball shorts. There isn’t a zipper.” Kuroo huffs, but doesn’t let Kenma’s reply deter him—there are plenty more where that came from and he intends to use every single one before the day ends.</p><p>~</p><p>The next time he sees a chance, is when they’re warming up and Kenma sets a ball for Lev. The ball has barely hit the ground on the other side of the net when he opens his mouth.</p><p>“Kenma!” He calls, smirking widely, “There’s a reason you’re the setter! You’ve got the most skilled hands here!”</p><p>Kenma blinks at him before turning away, completely ignoring Kuroo. He hangs his head in defeat a moment before a leg swings out and smacks harshly into his back. Yaku smirks as he falls to the floor, but Kuroo still isn’t finished yet. He just has to pick the right time.</p><p>~</p><p>Of course, Kenma was making that more difficult by ignoring Kuroo every time he walked towards him. So Kuroo decided to take matters into his own hands and just shout once more. If Kenma wasn’t going to let him get close, then he’d risk another kick from Yaku.</p><p>“Oi, Kenma! I’ve finished my water bottle!” He calls during a water break.</p><p>“Oh god, not again,” Kai manages to mutter beside him before he’s shouting over him.</p><p>“You’re seventy percent water… and I’m still thirsty.” This time he adds a wink but Kenma is throwing a towel at his face before he can see it. At least Kuroo is entertaining Yamamoto, if the way the winged spiker is cackling is anything to go by.</p><p>Instead of a kick to the back, he receives a punch to his gut—not that it’s any better. He doubles over, but is determined to finish the mission.</p><p>“I also know a great way to burn off the calories, if you know what I mean.” Yamamoto falls to the floor with laughter and Coach Nekomata shakes his head disappointedly at him. Kenma walks away from the bench with a huff.</p><p>“Wait… what does Kuroo-san mean?” Lev asks, looking at where Kenma’s retreating before looking at the man on the floor. Yaku sends both Lev and Kuroo an icy glare before following after Kenma.</p><p>~</p><p>They’re nearing the end of morning practice and Kuroo hasn’t even used half of the lines he found online last night. He’s starting to get desperate now, taking any opening he can.</p><p>“Kenma, you may be the setter, but you’re gonna be receiving later.” With this one, he’s finally managed to stand beside the man. He, however, is the one to receive a sharp shove as Kenma stalks off once more.</p><p>“Kuroo! Focus on practice, for the last time!” Coach Nekomata scolds with a shake of his head. Beside him, Coach Naoi is barely containing a snort as Yamamoto breaks out in laughter once more.</p><p>“Isn’t Yaku-san the Libro? Why would Kenma have to be doing receives?” Lev questions. Yaku kicks him and he stumbles forward, sputtering. Thankfully, Kuroo’s got all of afternoon practice and the walk home after school to finish off his list.</p><p>~</p><p>“Kenma! I couldn’t find you at lunch! Where did you go?” Kuroo asks as he jogs up to the man playing on his phone, both heading for the gym for afternoon practice.</p><p>“You wouldn’t stop being dumb this morning, so I left before you got there so I wouldn’t have to deal with you,” he deadpans, not bothering to look up from his game as he replies.</p><p>“That’s rude. I would’ve just said that-”</p><p>“Stop.”</p><p>“-I’m not really into sunsets, but I’d love to see you go down.”</p><p>“Kuro, I’m going to shove you again.”</p><p>“What? Why? I’ve done nothing wrong!”</p><p>“You know exactly why, Kuro.”</p><p>“At least I didn’t ask-”</p><p>“Kuro, I swear to god if you say one more of those stupid pick-up lines…”</p><p>“-if you could spare your keys so I could drive you crazy.” Kenma sends a sharp elbow into his side and effectively shuts him up. He takes the hint and switches the topic to the game Kenma only paused to hurt him. Kuroo pats himself on the back for using two lines in a row.</p><p>~</p><p>“Kuroo,” Yamamoto whispers not-so-quietly, “do you have any more of those lines?”</p><p>“I have the perfect one,” Kuroo answers with a smirk before turning to where Kenma was sitting on the bench in the club room. “Oi, Kenma! Did you hear that song by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion? Cause I think it captures the rest of our night perfectly.”</p><p>“What song, Kuroo-san? I don’t think I’ve heard it,” Lev asks, looking at him with an innocent look.</p><p>“Lev… you don’t really want to know,” Kai answers with a pained look.</p><p>“Kenma, you’d better stop, drop, and roll, cause you’re on fire. You’re so hot, you make the equator look like the north pole. Are you a campfire, cause you’re so hot and I want s’more.”</p><p>Kenma stands from the bench and walks straight out of the club room, passing Yaku who’s arriving.</p><p>“Hey, what’s up with Kenma? Is he-” he starts, looking over his shoulder before cutting himself off quickly. “Kenma, don’t jump over the railing! We’re on the second floor, you could get hurt!”</p><p>Everyone quickly rushes out to drag Kenma away from the railing where he had begun to climb over the top. Kenma pouts silently as Kuroo sends him a cheeky grin but doesn’t leave until everyone else is done changing for practice.</p><p>~</p><p>Halfway through practice, Kuroo sees his chance to tell Kenma yet another pick-up line.</p><p>“Oi, Kenma! The English language has twenty letters in its alphabet, right?” He asks, letting his eyes fall on golden ones.</p><p>“Aren’t you in advanced classes? You’re supposed to know,” he replies calmly, blinking and turning away from Kuroo.</p><p>“You’re right, I forgot U R A Q T.”</p><p>“Uh… Kuroo-san? Doesn’t English have twenty six letters?” Shibayama asks, tilting his head to the side.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Kenma, you’ll get the D later.” He winks even though he knows Kenma can’t see.</p><p>“Kuroo, if you say one more of those shitty pick-up lines, I’m going to cut out your tongue and feed it to the rats that live by the dumpster outside,” Yaku threatens, face morphed into a terrifying expression. Kuroo promptly closes his mouth.</p><p>~</p><p>They’re standing next to the bench for a final drink before leaving, and Kuroo decides to drop one final line.</p><p>“Baby, you’re so sweet, you put Hershey’s out of business,” he says with a wide smile. Kenma walks away.</p><p>“Turned down again? Will you never give up?” Fukunaga chides, sending him a skeptical look.</p><p>“I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you walk away!” Kuroo calls and Kenma halts for a moment, instead spinning around and marching towards him. He doesn’t stop until he’s right in front of Kuroo, staring up at him with piercing gold eyes.</p><p>“Does your mouth have room for an extra tongue?” He asks quietly, eyes never breaking contact for a moment.</p><p>“I- <i>what?</i>” Kuroo nearly roars, stumbling backwards a step in shock and feeling all the blood in his body go rushing to his face. He can feel the temperature rising up his neck, on his face, and even in his ears. Kenma only smirks before walking away again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I’m in love with these pick-up lines and all the others I found <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.scarymommy.com/dirty-pick-up-lines/%3famp">here</a> (probably bc I’m trash and think they’re hilarious). I got a couple ideas from the work ‘Kageyama Confidence Tobio’ as well, so check that out too :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HA HA SO the prompt today is: <b>Socially Unacceptable PDA</b>!</p><p>Disclaimer: I have never kissed anyone before so this might be wildly incorrect, but I really tried my best to write a satisfactory make out session. Also! This story contains HxH content once again bc I’m so in love with this show :))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Killua and Gon left each other’s side three years ago. They hadn’t hardly talked the entire time apart, one or the other too busy to call. And after a while, they stopped calling in general because their schedules never lined up. And that was fine, Killua was <i>fine</i>.</p><p>Killua and Alluka travelled around the world in those three years, seeing numerous places and going on a handful of adventures. They only parted once so Alluka could get her Hunter’s License, Killua not able to go with her after already obtaining his own. It took about a week, and Killua was restless the entire time. To say that Killua didn’t let Alluka out of his sight for the next three days was no understatement.</p><p>Sometimes the duo would meet up with Ikalgo and hang out together, but they’d have to say goodbye just as soon as they said hello. At one point, they ran into Leorio and Kurapika and joined them for lunch, which was a fun experience. They also ran into Hisoka, but Killua made sure that he didn’t so much as look at Alluka the wrong way. To say the sibling duo accidentally ran into some interesting people along the way is putting it lightly.</p><p>But, in all honesty, Killua always felt like something was off—felt like something or perhaps <i>someone</i> was missing. And he would never tell Alluka, obviously, but sometimes it seemed that feeling would try to consume him completely and he had to pretend for his sister. He hated those days, he hated lying to the one person that seemed to care more about him than anyone else. But he also couldn’t let Alluka know, so he swallowed the hate and the hurt and smiled for her anyways. He would always try to smile for her.</p><p>Three years had passed since Killua saw Gon last, and now they were both seventeen. Three years since that day at the World Tree. And, of all times and places, they found each other again on September first in Yorknew City. The same day all those years ago they promised to meet back up with Leorio and Kurapika.</p><p>It wasn’t him who spotted Gon either, it had been Alluka. They were leaving a restaurant after lunch when she suddenly turned to him with a wide smile and glittering eyes. Killua couldn’t help but feel like something was about to happen, something he wasn’t sure he wanted to happen. But that all flew out the window when Alluka opened her mouth.</p><p>“Brother, isn’t that your friend? Gon, right?” She asks, pointing to someone moving through the crowded street. And that’s when his eyes lock on the man in question.</p><p>He’s grown in the past years. He stands taller—Killua can’t tell from this distance if he’s quite as tall as him—and his arms are more toned than they once were. Gon’s wearing a plain white shirt and green shorts, similar to the outfit he always wore when they were younger. He’s got a bright smile on his lips as he laughs at something someone says. Killua thinks he looks beautiful and is convinced that his heart has stopped working entirely.</p><p>And just as Killua comes to the conclusion that his heart didn’t, in fact, stop beating and that it was instead running a race in his chest, Gon turned and his brown eyes locked on Killua’s. And that smile grows wider, a familiar warmth blooming in his chest at the sight. His breath hitches as his eyes widen.</p><p>“Killua!” Gon shouts, racing toward the duo. He leaps towards Killua with his arms outstretched, eyes glittering like stars. Gon’s voice certainly doesn’t help Killua breathe, rather sucks any and all air out of his lungs.</p><p>Killua is extremely glad that he’s standing in front of the alleyway beside the restaurant instead of in front of it, the thought of falling on his back onto the hard concrete ground much more appealing than falling and cracking his head on an outdoor table or the harsh brick exterior. Gon crashes into him, pushing them back a few steps as Killua tries to regain his balance. Gon’s arms wind around his shoulders and squeeze tightly. Gon is warm, just as warm as he’s always been, and Killua suddenly has a dangerous thought.</p><p><i>I want… I want to stay like this forever. I want to stay with Gon forever, I don’t want to leave his side again.</i> A blush heats his face as he buries his head in Gon’s hair, hugging back just as tightly. A moment passes in silence as the two just embrace.</p><p>Gon pulls back to look into Killua’s eyes, arms still holding him close. Seeing Gon this close after <i>so long</i> has Killua’s heart near bursting and butterflies eating away at his stomach. Was it always this way? Did he always feel this way around Gon? Does… does Gon feel the same?</p><p><i>Come on Killua,</i> he chides himself in his mind, eyes still locked on Gon’s, <i>don’t overthink this. Don’t ruin it when it’s only just begun. Stay calm and rational and it’ll all be fine, you won’t mess it up. God, please don’t do anything stupid.</i></p><p>But then Gon is leaning forward and Killua’s mind completely shuts down. Mostly because Gon’s kissing him. He has placed his lips on Killua’s. Gon’s lips are soft and warm and absolutely <i>perfect</i>. And Killua is too shocked to do anything, he just stands there frozen until Gon pulls away a few seconds later.</p><p>“Crap, I- I’m so sorry! I just- I thought, I mean-” Gon stammers, panic lacing his voice as he starts to detach himself from Killua. But before Gon can get very far, Killua reaches out and slaps his hands over Gon’s cheeks and yanks him back towards himself.</p><p>After the initial shock wore off, Killua realized that the yearning he had felt towards Gon since the Hunter Exam all those years ago wasn’t purely platonic. And some part of him always knew, knew that it was more romantic than anything else, but his own fear squashed it down into nothing. But now that part is back and consuming him whole and he won’t let it go again.</p><p>Killua uses Gon’s surprise to his advantage, connecting their lips once more and switching the roles around. Gon comes around faster than Killua had, however, and begins kissing him back with a newfound confidence that wasn’t there the first time. Gon’s hands find their way to Killua’s waist and hold him tightly like he thinks Killua will slip away if he’s not careful enough. They’re both pouring their unspoken emotions into this moment, hoping that the other will understand everything.</p><p>Killua only realizes that Gon is walking them backwards when his back hits the hard surface of the building he was in not even a half hour ago. Gon uses the little <i>huff</i> Killua makes when his back makes contact with the wall to suck in a sharp breath and switch the angle of his head to kiss Killua better. And if Killua wasn’t <i>absolutely positive</i> he was alive, he would’ve thought he was in heaven.</p><p>With this new angle, the softer kisses are long gone. Gon is kissing Killua like his life depends on it, pressing his lips firmly against Killua’s with thinly veiled determination. Killua moves his hands from Gon’s face to the back of his neck and lets his fingers tickle the hair there. Gon huffs a small laugh into their kiss and Killua can feel himself smiling too, nearly wide enough to break the kiss altogether. And then Gon does break the kiss, pulling back just enough to rest their foreheads together.</p><p>“Killua, I-” He starts, eyes holding an emotion Killua can’t name but knows all too well.</p><p>“Not yet,” Killua mumbles before letting his eyes slide close and his lips lead the way towards the other man.</p><p>This time, Killua leads their kiss and if the roaring of the butterflies in his stomach is anything to go by, he’d say he’s a little excited to be in charge. He’s not nearly as good as Gon had been—and Killua secretly wonders why—but he makes up for it in his ability to pick up on Gon’s moves and use them on the man in question. So when he switches the angle of his head like Gon did not long ago, he can feel the smallest smile playing on his lips.</p><p>But Gon decides to surprise Killua once more. And soon, Killua is off the ground and in Gon’s arms instead. Killua hooks his legs around Gon’s waist as his arms slung around his shoulders. Gon is still shorter than Killua, but that doesn’t stop either of them. Killua only clings to him like a koala as Gon clasps his hands under him in support. Killua runs his hands through spiked hair, feeling the soft texture on his fingertips. Gon has to angle his head up higher to continue kissing Killua due to the new position, but doesn’t waste a single moment in doing so.</p><p>Killua can feel the ridges of the bricks in the wall behind him from where he’s being pressed into them as an added support system—not that he thinks Gon will drop him. Though, he will admit, it is a bit hard to focus on anything other than Gon’s tongue slowly tracing the seam of his lips as if asking permission to enter. Killua hesitates at first, but realizes that he doesn’t have to be nervous when it comes to Gon, and slowly parts his lips slightly for the other man.</p><p>If he thought normal kissing was great, he was in for a whole new world of glorious pleasure. Gon was sure to be gentle and careful, slowing down their kissing altogether so Killua could adjust. He retracts his tongue and instead opts for biting Killua’s bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth before slipping his tongue back in. Killua hums in response, hands moving from Gon’s shoulders to his biceps, gripping the muscle working to keep him off the ground. God, Gon really knows what he’s doing.</p><p>In his own act of bold bravery, Killua allows his tongue to meet Gon’s. It’s a bit odd at first, but Killua quickly adjusts. He then slowly explores Gon’s mouth, licking over his teeth and the man’s own tongue. As time goes on, it only gets quicker and more passionate. Killua’s gasping in air as he continues his assault on Gon, and the man isn’t just standing idly by for it—rather he’s giving back just as good as he’s getting.</p><p>Gon breaks away, leaving kisses along Killua’s jaw and down his neck. Killua fists his hands in black hair and pulls lightly, tipping his own head back against the wall to give Gon more access. Killua sucks in a harsh breath and bites his lip to keep in a groan when Gon nips at the juncture of his neck. And when Gon runs the flat of his tongue up from that spot to his jawline, Killua knows there’s no way to silence the whine that leaks from his lips.</p><p>They begin to kiss again, but don’t get more than one measly peck in before a cough is interrupting them. And that when they remember that—<i>oh shit</i>—they have an audience. An audience of Killua’s younger sister. Killua immediately breaks apart from Gon’s lips with wide eyes. He can feel all the blood in his body rushing to his face as Gon chuckles slightly and sets him down. Killua wants to die, he wants to be swallowed whole by the ground.</p><p>“You, uh… You’ve been kissing for like… ten minutes,” Alluka says, a faint blush on her face as she fans her face. Killua buries his face in his hands and lets out a loud groan of embarrassment.</p><p>“Oops,” Gon comments, a sheepish smile on his lips completely rivaling the pride flashing in his eyes.</p><p>“You idiot! At least feel a little embarrassed!” Gon just laughs loudly and slings an arm around Killua’s shoulders, giving him a wide smile. And Killua can’t help but feel like he’s right where he was always meant to be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>FLAMEO HOTMAN! I hope that wasn’t too cringe or anything, again I have never actually kissed anyone before XD</p><p>Inspiration for this chapter <a href="https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJPVtSnW/">here</a>!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Party Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Frat Party</b>!</p><p>This chapter contains alcohol use (they’re all in college so it’s not really underaged or anything) so if that’s not your scene, feel free to skip this chapter!</p><p>This chapter features another HxH college AU similar but different from the first one. Please enjoy! :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Killua had been studying for the marketing test tomorrow. Keyword: <i>had</i>. That was until his brain decided that it could no longer retain information and he took that as a call for a break. A much needed break after three hours of rewriting all of his notes and going through the textbook to fill in any gaps he may have missed in class.</p><p>It’s after midnight, closer to one in the morning really, when Killua sits back in his desk chair. He runs a hand through his white hair and lets out a sigh. He still has a little bit to go, but what’s a small break going to hurt? Killua decides, more for his mental health and sanity than anything, that he will take a snack break before powering through the last chapter of notes.</p><p>Killua stands, stretching his arms over his head before bending over and reaching for his toes. He then stands up straight again and walks to his bed where his phone has been lying idle. He turns the device on before slipping it in his pocket and snatching his wallet on the way out of the quiet dorm room.</p><p>He silently makes his way down the hallway and into the floor common room where the vending machines are located. The lights are already on when he gets there, but there’s no talking which only means one person could be awake. Kurapika, the building RA, is the only person that chooses to leave his dorm after eleven. Mostly because his roommate supposedly snores like crazy, but Killua knows him a bit better than that.</p><p>“Hey, Kurapika, how’s the noise tonight?” Killua asks as he walks into the room, sending the blond man a sly smirk. The blonde raises his head from where he was hunched over a book and blinks at Killua before rolling his eyes.</p><p>“Hello Killua,” the man deadpans, returning to his book without another word.</p><p>“I’ll take that as a ‘I don’t want to talk about the trauma I’m going to have tomorrow’ kind of greeting,” Killua replies as he stops before the vending machine. He looks over the options and decides on his favorite snack, a chocolate robot.</p><p>“Why did I get paired with someone so incredibly idiotic? He’s not even my year! He’s in his fourth year of college and next year he’s going to medical school, so how did I get paired with him as a roommate?” Kurapika complains, laying his head on his book and letting his thoughts pour out.</p><p>“Hey, don’t ask me. If you knew anyone, you could’ve just paired with them. That’s how Ikalgo and I ended up rooming with each other. Not that he’s even around tonight.” Killua walks over and sits across from Kurapika, opening his chocolate robot. Kurapika raises his head once more.</p><p>“I brought it up with Melody, but she said she didn’t want a suite. She also didn’t think that the staff would allow a man and woman to share a room with each other, even if I have no desire to be anything but platonic towards her.”</p><p>“Well, there’s not much I can really tell you. Ikalgo decided to ditch me for a party and left at seven. I’m almost surprised he hasn’t sent me any drunk texts.”</p><p>“He sounds very responsible. Do you even know where the party is and who’s there?”</p><p>“He said it was a frat party of some kind, which means it’s probably at some football jock’s house. I didn’t really ask, I was just trying to study for my test in marketing tomorrow.” Kurapika hums in response.</p><p>Just before Kurapika can open his mouth to reply, Killua’s phone starts ringing. Very, very loudly. There’s only three people that can bypass the Do Not Disturb on Killua’s phone, and one of them is sitting across from him. The other two include his roommate and his sister. A giant smiling face and orange hair fills the man’s phone screen as he pulls it out of his pocket. Killua heaves a sigh before hitting the answer button.</p><p>“Killua! Hey, Killua! Yo, you gotta get down here man! It’s crazy, you don’t wanna miss it!” Ikalgo shouts into the microphone and Killua has to pull his phone away from his ear a bit in order to spare his hearing. Kurapika rolls his eyes again.</p><p>“Ikalgo, I told you earlier that I wasn’t going. I’m not dumb enough to go to some random party and skip out on studying for an <i>actual test</i>,” Killua deadpans after putting the call on speaker and turning down his ringer so it wouldn’t be blasting quite so loud.</p><p>“Oh come on! You hardly ever get out, you should at least go to one college party at some point! Don’t be so <i>boring</i> all the time!” Ikalgo tries, the alcohol in his voice nearly nonexistent. He’s always been good at masking when he’s drunk or when he gets hangovers, it’s a bit concerning.</p><p>“Ikalgo, this is Kurapika. You’d better be back here in half an hour or I’m going to report you to the resident staff. You know that parties during the week are off limits, I made that clear at the start of the semester,” Kurapika chimes in, using his stern RA voice.</p><p>“Shit. Well, Killua will have to come to pick us up! There’s no way we’re getting back on our own and a bunch of people are starting to leave. You could be in and out in, like, five minutes!” Killua suppresses the urge to groan out of annoyance and instead settles for a huff.</p><p>“Thanks Killua, you’re the best! I’ll send you my location!” Ikalgo cackles over the speaker before Killua ends the call. Kurapika gives him a smirk which Killua ignores as he stands and throws the box for his chocolate robot in the garbage. He might as well go now, he doesn’t really want to waste any time in doing so.</p><p>Kurapika calls out a short goodbye and Killua waves over his shoulder before retreating back to his dorm. Seeing as he’s wearing light grey sweatpants and an old hoodie, Killua takes the time to change his hoodie into an old green t-shirt. He then slips on some sneakers and grabs a jacket from the rack, heading out the door within the next two minutes.</p><p>As Killua walks down the hall to the elevator, he passes the common room once more. Kurapika has gone back to reading and doesn’t spare him a glance. Killua boards the elevator, opening Ikalgo’s text on the way down.</p><p>
  <b>Octopussy</b><br/>
<i>3588 Laburnum Crest</i>
</p><p><i>So I was right,</i> Killua thinks as he exits the elevator, <i>he is at some football jock’s house. Either football or baseball, only athletes live up there.</i></p><p>Killua walks out to the parking lot outside the dorm building, finding his car. He unlocks it and climbs in, hooking his phone’s bluetooth to the car and setting the directions up. Killua then spends the next ten minutes driving around and immediately recognizes the lit up house with a sea of cars parked around it and people overflowing onto the lawn. It doesn’t seem anyone is done partying, but that’s not his problem. Rather, his problem is finding one stupid ginger in this crowd—which might actually be worse.</p><p>Killua climbs out of his car and quickly stalks over to the house, trying desperately to avoid any sort of contact with anyone else around. He succeeds in making it to the front door without a hitch. He walks through the entrance and makes it into the living room, about to begin his search for Ikalgo when he spots someone dancing on the table top. Or, to say it simply and more factually correct, <i>twerking</i> on the table top. And Ikalgo happens to be one of the people throwing money at the individual.</p><p>Killua marches up to his friend, shoving through the crowd to reach him. Only when he gets clower does he notice someone even more shocking standing next to Ikalgo and filming the man on the table. His younger sister, Alluka, is holding up her phone and cheering for the man. Killua can only assume Ikalgo dragged her to the party after he denied and the sudden urge to completely <i>tear</i> Ikalgo limb from limb jumped from thirty percent to eighty three percent in a split second.</p><p>“Ikalgo, you asshole! You brought <i>Alluka</i> to the party with you?” Killua roars when he reaches his roommate and former friend—former since about ten seconds ago.</p><p>“Killua? Hey! Glad you could make it!” Ikalgo calls back, slowly blinking at him and tearing his gaze away from the table top performer.</p><p>“We’re leaving. Now. Let’s go.” He snatches Ikalgo’s wrist and twists to face his sister who just seemed to notice his presence.</p><p>“Killua!” Alluka shouts, a wide smile on her face. “You came! Isn’t it a bit late though?”</p><p>“Hi, sorry. We’re leaving now. I’m taking you both back to the dorms and we’ll talk about this tomorrow,” Killua snaps back, tone signalling his no-nonsense attitude at the moment.</p><p>The music is pounding so loud Killua can feel it in his bones and the smell of alcohol is almost overwhelmingly strong. Not to mention, they were at the front of a large crowd and people were constantly pushing at him to get a better view. With as many people swarming around like bees as there are, the warmth of bodies consumes him and makes his palm feel clammy and his body seem to grow hotter with each passing second. In short, Killua <i>really</i> wants to leave as soon as possible.</p><p>“Wait, we came with Gon too! We can’t leave him here alone!” Alluka says, pointing to the man on the table. Killua swivels and finally looks at the man. Something clicks and he recognizes him instantly.</p><p>It’s that guy from his Companion Animal Care 202 class with Kite-sensei. The one that seems to stare at him every time he walks into the room. How do Alluka and Ikalgo know him? Is he an athlete or something? What is Killua missing?</p><p>“You want me to drive him back to our dorm?” Killua shouts to no one in particular.</p><p>He receives two smiles and the perfectly in-sync response from the duo. “Yes!”</p><p>Killua sighs in defeat and lets go of Ikalgo’s wrist to spin fully towards the table top dancer. He gulps down a breath before tapping on his shoe to get his attention. The man turns with a smile that immediately falters upon seeing him. But then it’s brighter and he’s dipping down to pull Killua onto the table with him.</p><p>“Wha- hey! What are you doing, idiot?” Killua squawks as he’s dragged up. He catches Ikalgo’s shit-eating grin and the flash of Alluka’s camera on them before the man—Gon, apparently—takes his face in his hands.</p><p>“Focus on me, babe,” he says, eyes hazy from alcohol but voice dripping with honey. Killua can feel himself wanting to go along with the man’s instructions.</p><p><i>Killua, snap out of it! You’re only here to get Alluka and Ikalgo home! Then you can finish studying and ace your test tomorrow,</i> Killua’s mind scolds, trying to snap him out of his bubble. It doesn’t exactly work.</p><p>“You came with Ikalgo and Alluka, right? I’m Alluka’s brother and Ikalgo’s roommate. We’re leaving now,” Killua calls over the music, seemingly louder now that there aren’t bodies helping to drown everything out.</p><p>“Aw, but I wanted to dance with you!” Gon pouts, his hands trailing from Killua’s face down to his shoulders, hanging on the man. Killua suppresses a shiver at the way Gon’s elbows rest on his shoulder blades and the way he’s leaning into him so their faces are only inches apart.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but we have to go. I’m sure that someone will dance with you at another party,” Killua tries again, standing stock-still on the table as Gon’s pout increases.</p><p>“You won’t dance for even a little bit?” Gon’s big, bright, and very brown eyes stare innocently into his. Killua swallows again.</p><p>Instead of waiting for Killua’s answer, Gon removes his arms from Killua’s shoulders and takes his hands instead, guiding them to Gon’s waist. Killua draws a sharp breath in and he can faintly hear the crowd hollar below them over the pounding of his heart. Something about Gon draws him in and he doesn’t want to get caught in his dangerous web. Though it seems a bit late for that now.</p><p>“Go Killua! Get some!” He hears Alluka shout as Ikalgo cackles and that pierces through whatever daydream he’s been living in. A hot blush forms on his cheeks and Killua moves his hands from Gon’s waist to his shoulders, forcing them apart.</p><p>“I-I’m sorry! I’m leaving now, whether you’re coming or not!” Killua shouts, turning on the man and jumping off the table to land beside his friend and sister. The crowd boos but he doesn’t turn back to see if Gon is following as he starts walking away, dragging the duo along with him.</p><p>By the time they’ve made it out of the house, Alluka is pouting and Ikalgo is whining loudly. Killua is barely keeping his sanity in check and if the night continues like this for much longer, he thinks he’ll lose his mind completely.</p><p>“Hey, wait! Hey! Don’t walk away so fast!” A voice calls out from behind him and Alluka and Ikalgo turn to see who it was. Killua just continues on, marching over the grass towards where his car is parked.</p><p>“Hey, it’s Gon! Killua, stop, it’s Gon!” Alluka says, wriggling out of his grip and jogging back to where Killua assumes he’s standing. Killua huffs an annoyed sigh and stops, waiting not-so-patiently for them to catch up.</p><p>“Damn, you walk really fast. I had to grab all my money from the table before I could chase after you,” Gon says when he arrives at Killua’s side with a smirk and playful wink. He has a cup in one of his hands and knocks it back as Killua rolls his eyes.</p><p>“Yeah? Don’t drink in my car. Or throw up,” Killua says, turning up his nose and continuing his march. The three others trail over him and he can feel Gon getting drunker behind him. Jeez, does he have any idea what self-control is?</p><p>They manage to make it to Killua’s car and everyone loads in, Killua in the driver's seat with Alluka beside him and Ikalgo and Gon in the back seat. Killua has never been happier to have an SUV than he does now. Although, it does take him two minutes to help Gon into the car, whatever was in that final drink causing all the drunken qualities to finally kick in. Just his luck, apparently.</p><p>He rolls up the sleeves to buckle the man up, and Gon immediately runs his hands up Killua’s forearms.</p><p>“Ffffuck… you have really nice arms,” Gon declares and that hot blush is back on Killua’s cheeks, staining them red.</p><p>Alluka cackles and turns in her seat to wink at Gon. “If you like them now, wait until you see him shirtless. My brother is much more toned than he looks.”</p><p>Killua slams the car door shut and stalks over to the driver’s seat. <i>Please, just give me enough strength to get through the next two hours.</i></p><p>~</p><p>Thankfully, the stars or whoever is up in the sky grants his wish. They arrive back at the dorm and Kurapika promises to help him scold the three in the morning. Then Killua is made to give Gon a piggy back ride up to their dorm as Ikalgo whines about never getting the same treatment as Alluka laughs. He was informed in the car that Alluka barely had one drink and Ikalgo limited himself to four with Alluka around. Gon was the only real drunk around, and he apparently blacked out a while ago and has been on autopilot this entire time.</p><p>Killua manages to get them all into the dorm and carefully lay Gon on the couch in their living room, instantly grateful that they have a suite instead of a normal dorm like Alluka. A ‘two bedroom deluxe suite’ according to the school, but Killua is more than happy to pay any price for it at this exact moment. He’s been saving up since fourth grade anyway, he deserves a bit of comfort and luxury when dealing with college and everyone that comes with it.</p><p>Killua then heads into the kitchenette and gets three large glasses of water, handing them out to the three party goers. Then he fills them up again and waits for them to finish that as well before filling them a third time and going to his room to set up a second sleeping space so Alluka can take his bed. Ikalgo will sleep alone in his room and Gon will sleep on the couch, Killua decided in the car and will not waver. Besides, he knows Alluka will fall asleep instantly and won’t be bothered by the light on his desk as he finishes studying.</p><p>He returns to the living room area and allows Alluka to change into the spare sleepwear kept in his closet for times like this. Ikalgo retreats to his room for the night and Gon hasn’t moved a muscle since Killua draped a blanket over him on the couch. He decides to check the kitchen to make sure they have everything they need for breakfast in the morning. He counts the eggs and makes sure everyone will get two before moving onto the bananas, mentally splitting them into four in preparation.</p><p>“Killua…” Alluka says, yawning loudly, “I’m done changing now. I’m going to bed.”</p><p>Killua nods at her and waits a few more minutes before slipping into the dark bedroom and switching on his desk light. It’s just after two in the morning and Killua knows he can finish by three if he tries hard enough. So that’s what he sets out to do.</p><p>~</p><p>Killua managed to finish quicker than expected, the pages seeming to come together flawlessly and allow him to finish all his notes in half an hour. It helped that the chapter he had left was short and he got to sleep a few extra minutes. Though he did wake up at seven to make breakfast.</p><p>Knowing Ikalgo means you have to know how to combat a hangover. Being his roommate means you have to help him do it. Which means Killua is stuck making scrambled eggs rich in l-cysteine to help their bodies neutralize the alcohol and cutting up bananas to help raise potassium levels and relieve nausea. Lastly, he discards any caffeine in exchange for coconut water. They may not know it now, but Alluka, Ikalgo, and Gon will not be leaving this dorm room without drinking three full glasses of coconut water and making sure to have a water bottle for further hydration during the day.</p><p>Alluka is the first awake, hearing Killua move and shift around in his bedroom in an attempt to clean up the makeshift bed. She rubs the sleep from her eyes and stretches her arms over her head with a yawn. Killua smiles sweetly at her and kisses her forehead before going to wake Ikalgo up. He’s not nearly as tender with him, but he’s nicer than he usually is. This means he shakes Ikalgo until he wakes up and throws clothes at him before announcing breakfast.</p><p>“You can just go wake him up you know. You both have that lecture at ten, I don’t see why you’re being so awkward about it,” Alluka comments after watching Killua hesitate for five minutes in waking up Gon on the couch.</p><p>“Well I just… I’ve never talked to him before his morning and I don’t know anything about him,” Killua says, slowly inching closer to the man.</p><p>“Gon! Time to get up, sleepy head!” Ikalgo shouts, rushing past Killua and ripping the blanket off of him. Gon groans before slowly opening his eyes, blinking slowly at the three people in the dorm.</p><p>“Wh… Where am I?” He questions, voice groggy with sleep. He sits up, rubbing a hand over his head and blinking a few more times. Killua offers a small smile when Gon’s eyes land on him.</p><p>“Wah!” Gon immediately calls out, slipping off the couch and landing harshly on the floor. His eyes widen and a faint pink blush colors his cheeks as his eyes meet Killua’s once more.</p><p>“Don’t worry dude, you’re in my dorm! Well, mine and Killua’s. He brought you back here after that party,” Ikalgo says, clapping a hand on Gon’s back.</p><p>“The party? Oh… oh. Oh! Oh man, that party! I’m so sorry, I totally didn’t mean to drink that much, I don’t know what came over me! I think I blacked out at one point, I’m glad I ended up here instead of some dumpster behind the school,” Gon rambles and something in Killua’s chest clenches tightly and he finds it almost cute. Then Killua mentally slaps himself for thinking that.</p><p><i>Come on Killua, you only have to feed this guy. After that, you both can go back to ignoring each other and pretend none of this ever happened.</i> Killua takes a deep breath and turns to the kitchen where the plates are resting on the counter. He can do this, everything will be fine. Besides, it’s not like Killua is one to get attached easily. Definitely not. There’s no way that Gon will ever be more to him than some random guy he drove home from a party once. There’s no way Gon will ever become a part of his life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you wanna see what Killua and Ikalgo’s dorm room looks like, scroll to the third picture from top <a href="https://www.uky.edu/housing/room-types-undergraduate">here</a>! Also, this chapter is the longest so far at over 3.5k words!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Art of Giving Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay so today’s prompt is: <b>Weapon of Choice</b>!</p><p>I was reassured by the creator of Corntober and a couple others that hand-to-hand combat does in fact fall under the ‘weapon’ category and therefore this chapter is completely valid. A warning: there is blood and the breaking of bones in this chapter so be cautious of any triggers!</p><p>Were introducing characters from My Hero Academia (BNHA) this chapter, along with an OC of mine from my other story ‘Father’s Orders’!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As heros-in-training, we tend to fight with our Quirks and a few items that enhance said Quirk. I, however, rely heavily on my own physical abilities and observation skills to win a fight. I spent years learning hand-to-hand combat and building up muscle along with flexibility in order to overpower anyone in close range. I’ve also watched countless battles, both in recordings and in person, and made note of the different tactics heros used to win. I may not ever reach Midoriya’s level on hero notes, but I’d like to say that I know enough to get me through.</p><p>So when All Might announces that we’re going to be doing Quirkless one-on-one battle training in class, I can’t help but smile and crack my knuckles in anticipation. A few others glance over at me before returning their attention to All Might who has begun explaining the rules.</p><p>“This is a chance to really gauge where you stand in regular combat! I will be assigning partners by drawing lots!” All Might finishes with a booming shout. I watch as All Might reaches into the ballot box and draws out two random numbers.</p><p>“Numbers sixteen and seventeen! Bakugou and Chīsai will battle first!” He announces and a sort of bubbly excitement rises in my chest. I receive a few apologetic looks, but I brush them off. This should be an interesting match.</p><p>A few minutes later, after everyone is paired and we’re led to a small arena based on the ones used for the Sports Festival, just scaled down for classes like this. I stalk onto my half of the arena and watch as Bakugou does the same. Our class is watching from the stands and I intend to give them a good fight—there’s no way I’m backing down from Bakugou.</p><p>“And… start!” All Might shouts, signalling the beginning of our battle.</p><p>Bakugou immediately rushes towards me, and I simply stand and watch as he approaches. I like to wait until the other person strikes first in fights so I can calculate my defense and next move accurately. Thankfully, Bakugou nearly always leads with his right hand, a trait I can remember Midoriya using against him.</p><p>“I’m not gonna let you leave without a mark!” Bakugou shouts as he grows closer, running close to the ground. He’ll lead with his right this time too.</p><p>He reaches out with his right hand to grab my arm, but I duck and roll through his legs, clamping onto his left leg and pulling him off balance. He stumbles forward a bit as I stand up and I turn, grabbing his left arm and spinning him around before shoving forcefully at his shoulders and sending him falling over.</p><p>I jump forward and step on his wrists, pinning them to the ground as I smile down at him. There’s rage clouding his red eyes, threatening to boil over at any given second. His feet come up behind me and shove my hips forward, causing me to stumble forward and off of him. He jumps up and I spin on him, not allowing myself to get caught. I spare a glance at my surroundings to find out where exactly in the arena we are, and Bakugou uses this to lunge at me.</p><p>His left hand comes around to connect with my face, but I lean back and fall into a backbend, kicking my legs up to catch the edge of Bakugou’s chin. I stand back up and raise my hands in a fighting stance. Bakugou spits out blood, hand coming up to wipe away what escaped out of the corner of his mouth and dragging the blood onto his cheek with a smirk. He rushes forward once more.</p><p>He swings with his right and I block, going in with my left and getting a clean punch in. Bakugou’s head snaps to the left and I use the second of shock to grab behind his head, thrusting my knee up and into his chest. The wind, along with a bit more blood, is knocked out of the man as he doubles over, clutching his abdomen as I let go and back off a few steps. He takes a few moments to stand back up, smirk replaced with a dangerous snarl.</p><p>He charges at me and I raise my hands in preparation, but he drops at the last second and slides until his left leg can swing and sweep my feet out from under me. I fall gracelessly, landing hard on my tailbone. I quickly backwards roll into a standing position a little ways from Bakugou, still wincing at the pain of slamming into the cement ground.</p><p>“Come at me, damn Hair Dye! Don’t make me do everything!” Bakugou shouts, running straight at me.</p><p>I let him in close, blocking or dodging each jab thrown my way. After a swing from his right, I dodge under his arm and swing my left leg up to kick his abdomen as hard as I can, sending him flying backwards and onto the ground. He coughs up blood and bile this time, but stands back up all the same.</p><p>I wait, watching as he pants heavily. I’m not sure how much time has passed, but I know this fight will be over soon if it keeps going at this rate. Hand-to-hand combat is more than just taking down your opponent, it can sometimes turn into an endurance fight if the other person is also highly skilled. It makes a difference, however, if one person trains in hand-to-hand specifically while the other learns it through training their Quirk.</p><p>Bakugou’s red eyes blaze, burning holes in my skin. If looks could kill, I’d be lying dead where I stand. Fortunately, I’m still upright and breathing with barely a scratch on me. Bakugou hasn’t quite kept his word.</p><p>“Bakugou, you haven’t exactly given me a mark yet. I didn’t take you as someone who breaks their word so easily,” I call, smirking and standing proudly in the arena. There’s not a peep from the stands and I can only assume that they’re all waiting for the man’s reply.</p><p>“You… you trying to make a fool out of me?” He rasps out, voice hoarse.</p><p>“Trust me Bakugou, you don’t need my help to make a fool of yourself. I mean look at you, the top student getting beaten by some <i>extra</i>. How humiliating is that?” I’m trying to work him up, make him lose his self control and watch his combat become animalistic—then I’ll have a reason to go all out. He roars, falling into my trap.</p><p>He rushes towards me and I just wait patiently for him to reach me. His hands are outstretched to try and grab me and I make no move to dodge them until he’s upon me. I spin to wind our arms together, Bakugou’s arm across my back as my right arm is tucked under his left, my right shoulder nearly in his armpit. He swings his right hand at me in an attempt to hit me, but I clasp onto his wrist and keep my elbow flush to my body. I then use my right hand to grab the hem of Bakugou’s athletic uniform and step in front of him so his chest is pressed against my back firmly. I thrust my hips back and use all the muscle in my arms to flip him over my right shoulder and onto the ground.</p><p>As he’s on the ground before me, I swing my foot up and bring it down in an axe kick. A loud <i>crack</i> sounds out as my heel connects with Bakugou’s ribs, breaking a few of the bones. Bakugou cries out and for a split second, I feel guilty. Then I remember that this is only training and that I can’t feel bad for villains out on the battlefield. I back away from Bakugou and wait for him to get back up. This man truly doesn’t know when to quit, does he?</p><p>His breathing is ragged and there’s blood on his face along with smaller cuts and bruises from being tossed around so much. He stands with his hands raised in a fighting stance and I give him a pitiful look, looking over the man’s tired and broken body. He doesn’t seem to like that.</p><p>He throws a left hook and I lean back so it breezes past me. I don’t allow him time to retract his arm fully before plowing my fist into the bottom of his jaw in a fierce uppercut. When he stumbles back a step, I grab his head and slam it down on my raised knee. His nose connects with the joint and breaks on impact.</p><p>Using Bakugou’s position, I grab his left arm and twist it around so it sticks out straight behind him, forcing him to remain bent over to relieve the pain. Bakugou is on his knees now and I easily turn and step over his back with my right leg so his back is between my thighs and I have complete control of his arm. I then twist as forcefully as I can until I feel the <i>crunch</i> of his shoulder dislocating. I let go and he drops to the ground limply.</p><p>I immediately back off again and put a fair amount of space between us. Bakugou stays down for a number of moments before standing and raising his good hand up to touch the blood dripping from his broken nose. His eyes shine with a fury that causes a shiver to race up my spine. With a dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, and a broken nose, any sane person would have stopped fighting back ages ago.</p><p>But Bakugou isn’t sane—at least not when it comes to admitting defeat in battle.</p><p>“Is that all you’ve got, Hair Dye? I could do this all day if you’d like. Just keep coming, I won’t be the one to surrender,” he growls, sneering at me. I let out an annoyed huff. This isn’t very fun anymore, Bakugou is just being difficult now.</p><p>“Bakugou, you’ve only managed to knock me over once and graze me with a punch. You, on the other hand, have multiple broken bones and a dislocated shoulder. If anyone is giving up, it’ll be you. Don’t act all tough all the time,” I snarl back, my navy blue eyes clashing with his ruby red ones in a dance for dominance.</p><p>He screams and rushes forward, putting everything left in him out on display. I let out my own war cry before advancing. When we meet in the middle, I’ve dropped and swept one leg under Bakugou’s like he had done to me earlier. And just as I had, he falls down and I lunge forward, pinning him down to finally put an end to this battle.</p><p>My left leg is behind me, pinning Bakugou’s legs down as I place most of my weight on my left knee where it’s digging into Bakugou’s gut and in my right foot that’s pinning down his left wrist. My left hand is holding down his right wrist as my right hand holds his face down into the cement. I’ve won, finally, and there’s nothing Bakugou can say or do to change that. He can’t fight back anymore.</p><p>I stand and regard the man still laying on the hard concrete of the arena floor. His chest is rising and falling and he’s finally allowed his eyes to fall closed. There’s blood smeared in multiple places and Bakugou looks worse than a few other battles we’ve been in against actual villains. The medical robots come out and start loading him onto the stretcher and his eyes meet mine once more.</p><p>“Don’t fucking look down on me again.” With that, I turn and stalk out of the arena to join the rest of the class for evaluation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ahhhh, I tried to make Bakugou as in-character as I could, so I hope he isn’t terribly written &gt;w&lt;</p><p>Anyway, I spend an embarrassing amount of time on YouTube watching combat videos to get ideas of movement and different techniques for this story. I hope it sounded decent and not like some random inexperienced girl wrote it :)</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Pin Cushion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Piercings</b>!</p><p>So, as the prompt dictates, this chapter is about piercings! And who better to do that than Punk!Yamagichi and Tattoo Artist!Hinata? That’s right, I go on Pinterest and see all that wonderful fanart!</p><p>Head up, mentions of blood, needles, and spit in this chapter, so watch for that! And without further ado, I present the Haikyuu piercing/tattoo shop AU!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hi, welcome to The Pin Cushion! How can I help you today?” A cheerful voice calls out after the bell over the door chimes.</p><p>In walk four men, two overly excited, one intrigued by the shop, and one very calm with an unsure gleam in his eye. Hinata smiles behind the counter as they make their way over. As they get closer, the ginger is able to pick up on their individual appearances.</p><p>One of the two excited men seems to be shorter than Hinata himself, which grabs his attention almost immediately. He’s got black hair styled up in spikes with a bleached section in the front, large brown eyes and a shit-eating grin stretched across his face. He’s wearing black jeans with a plain white shirt, a denim jacket draped over the top and grey high top sneakers. Hinata immediately likes his attitude and vibe, something tells him that they’ll be good friends by the time he leaves.</p><p>The other excited man is trying and failing to hide said excitement. He’s got buzzed hair and a widow’s peak, slate grey eyes boring into Hinata’s. He’s wearing a black hoodie and ripped jeans, a simple look that compliments him nicely. Hinata can tell by the way he carries himself that he tries to be intimidating—how well that works, he has no idea. Hinata decides he likes that man too.</p><p>The man that seems to be taking in the shop, looking around with curious eyes seems like he’s never been inside a tattoo or piercing shop before, and that makes Hinata excited—he loves first time customers. He’s got silver hair that must be natural if it matches his eyebrows. Hazel eyes dart around and Hinata catches a glimpse of a mole under his left eye and a soft smile on his lips. He’s wearing denim jeans rolled up a bit on the bottom with tall white socks tucked under the hem and cream shoes on his feet. He must have a white button down on because the collar is poking through the neck of his black striped sweater. Despite the soft smile, Hinata can tell that he’s not here just to observe.</p><p>The last man is definitely the biggest of them all—Hinata can clearly see the muscle on him from his seat behind the counter—as well as the most wary. His short black hair and dark brown eyes along with a strong jaw that makes him seem that much more <i>masculine</i>. It helps that he’s wearing a white sleeveless sweatshirt that shows off his arms and simple grey joggers for a casual touch. There’s an air of authority around him and Hinata immediately straightens up. He seems to be the one in charge of this entire operation.</p><p>“Hi! We’re here for piercings and maybe a tattoo!” The shorter man calls as he bounds up to the counter, Hinata filled with giddiness at his energy.</p><p>“Of course, this is the place to go! My name is Hinata Shouyou, and I’m one of the tattoo artists here, though I also do piercings. Yamaguchi over there, the one with the messy hair and freckles, is the main piercer who will probably be doing most of the work,” Hinata explains, gesturing off to his left—their right—where the man is cleaning some equipment after his last customer.</p><p>There’s four of them working today, Kenma and Akaashi off working with customers, which leaves Hinata and Yamaguchi to deal with the four men. If it’s just piercings they’re after, Yamaguchi will most likely do most of them with Hinata’s assistance, but if they decide to get a tattoo as well, Hinata is the man to do it. Hinata likes to pride himself on being one of the best tattoo artists at the shop, but he knows how to be humble around others.</p><p>“What would you like today? Both piercings and tattoos, or just piercings? I have separate forms for both, so I’ll need a definite answer.”</p><p>“We’d like three piercing forms please. If we decide later on to get a tattoo, can we get the forms then?” The silver haired man asks.</p><p>Hinata nods at him with a cheerful smile. “Yeah, definitely! I’ll get those for you in just a moment!”</p><p>Hinata spins around towards the filing cabinet behind the counter and opens one drawer, quickly pulling out three forms for the men. He then turns back towards the counter and swipes three pens from the holder before passing them out respectively.</p><p>“I’ll also need to see a proof of ID before I can accept those forms and we can discuss what you want. I’ll bore you with prices and such, but Yamaguchi is the one who can explain the actual piercings best.” He receives a smile in return and a bloom of pride bursts in his chest. Hinata can be professional when he wants.</p><p>“Okay… there. Here’s my driver’s license, too,” the silver haired man says.</p><p>“Sugawara?” Hinata asks and gets a nod in return. “Thank you.”</p><p>The short man is next—Nishinoya—and Hinata clears him as well. Then comes the buzz cut guy—Tanaka—who also receives Hinata’s permission. The third just introduces himself as Daichi and announces that he is the self control for the three other men. Hinata has lots of respect for this man after being in his presence for hardly five minutes.</p><p>“Okay, now that that’s out of the way, what are we thinking? I have a price sheet with pictures of all the piercings we offer if you’d like to see it,” Hinata offers after taking the forms and pens back.</p><p>“We already know what we want, we did a <i>ton</i> of thinking! Daichi made sure that we were absolutely certain that we wanted to go through with this before he allowed us to come!” Nishinoya announces, smiling and hooking a thumb over his shoulder to where Daichi stands.</p><p>“I’d still like the sheet though, I want to see the prices,” Sugawara adds. Hinata nods and fetches it for him.</p><p>The men take a moment to look over the sheet, going over the prices and appearances of each piercing. After a few moments, Sugawara lifts his head to ask Hinata a question.</p><p>“If we’re getting multiple of the same piercing, does that multiply the cost too? Or will it just multiply the cost of the jewelry?” Hinata beams at the question, one he knows the answer to.</p><p>“I’m glad you asked! What’s written on the sheet is the starting price, but if you <i>do</i> decide on getting, let’s say, a helix piercing on both ears, then the service fee only goes up ten dollars with each additional piercing. The jewelry does multiply, however. There’s really no way around that one.” Daichi and Sugawara nod at the same time.</p><p>“But! Since it’s your first time piercing here and because you’re a group, you will get thirty percent off of your total. All extra jewelry purchased after your piercing will be forty percent off if you purchase now instead of a later date.”</p><p>“Okay, thank you. I’ll be getting an industrial piercing and three conch piercings. Noya is getting a tongue and two ear piercings, and Tanaka is getting a single ear piercing and a helix piercing,” Suga declares. Hinata jots everything down on a sticky note before smiling at the man.</p><p>“Okay, follow up question: by single ear or double ear piercings, do you mean single as in one side or single as in one piercing for both sides?”</p><p>“I want one piercing on each side. In the lobe,” Tanaka chimes in, still trying to act nonchalant. That won’t work well when the time to pierce comes, almost everyone drops the act when they sit on the table.</p><p>“And I want two on each side!” Nishinoya comments, this time hooking his thumb towards himself. Hinata nods before pulling up the calculator app on his phone and typing everything in.</p><p>“And, your total comes to… $645. With the discount, that makes it…” Hinata types a few more numbers in before producing the correct answer. “$451.50! Are you splitting the bill?”</p><p>“Yeah, we’d like to divide that by three please.”</p><p>Hinata once again presses a few buttons before returning his gaze to the men. “That’ll be $150.50 each then! Cards and cash are both accepted!”</p><p>The men slide over their respective credit cards and Hinata swipes them before handing them back. He gives the men a warm smile and grabs his sticky note from the counter. He then shows them over to where Yamaguchi has just finished cleaning his things.</p><p>The shop isn’t overly huge in size, but the open concept makes it seem bigger than it is. Everything is sectioned off in stations, obviously, but there aren’t any walls or curtains blocking them off. The counter is in the middle of the back wall and due to the shop’s location on the corner of a street, the leftmost wall is made of floor-to-ceiling windows that show the outside world. The right wall has three doors on it, two leading to private rooms for customers that don’t want to be seen while getting pierced or tattooed, and one door leading to the back of the shop.</p><p>The front walls of the shop are also made of windows that let in all sorts of sunlight, but the stations of equipment are pressed against the glass to block the view of the inside of the shop from smaller individuals. Four tables line each side of the front wall, parting for the door. Two more line the left wall with two on either side of the counter on the back wall. The left half of the shop is more for tattoos and the right is more for piercings, but, in the instance that they run out of room, it’s not completely segregated.</p><p>The back wall is crowded with images of tattoos you could get and a number of other objects. All types of pictures are scattered across the wall’s surface. They range from hung properly in a frame and nails to simply held on the wall by tape or tacks. Above the station in the left corner against the back wall is an award addressed to Hinata as well as a picture of his family with another of just his sister. Hinata likes to believe that the station is his, but he knows that any of them will use it at any given time.</p><p>Hinata stops before Yamaguchi and  hands the other man the note and watches his face change. At first he looked calm, but slowly, his eyes widen and he gets an impressed gleam in his eyes. There’s also loads of excitement bubbling under the surface and Hinata suppresses a knowing smile when Yamaguchi looks back up.</p><p>“Wow, you’re going all in. You’re sure you want all of this done today? There’s no harm in coming back another day, Hinata can make a note of your names and faces so you don’t have to pay a second time,” Yamaguchi says, looking over the men.</p><p>“Trust me, I warned them of this multiple times. They’re dead set on this,” Daichi comments, looking exasperatedly over to his companions.</p><p>“Alright then. Do you mind staying out here or do you want a private room? Hinata will be there to help me so we can get through everyone in a timely manner, but otherwise it would just be us,” Yamaguchi offers and gets shakes of heads in return.</p><p>“No, we can stay out here. I’m not afraid to be watched by other people!” Nishinoya announces with a proud smile and puffed chest. Hinata is impressed.</p><p>“Okay then. Who wants to go first?”</p><p>“I will! I wanna do my tongue first!” Nishinoya declares loudly, hopping onto the table. Hinata sees Yamaguchi’s eyebrows raise as he regards the man before walking to his table and getting his gloves on.</p><p>“I’m not sure how much research you did, but I’ll tell you one thing before we start: it doesn’t hurt as bad as you think it will. Your head likes to make things worse than they actually are, so don’t focus on anything but me when we begin,” Yamaguchi advises as he gathers the correct materials.</p><p>He brings over the clamps, needle, napkins and sanitary equipment, and the jewelry, setting them beside Nishinoya on the table. Yamaguchi has Nishinoya get off the table and rinse his mouth out with mouthwash before he does anything further. You have to have a clean mouth to get a tongue piercing, it’s common knowledge.</p><p>Once Nishinoya—who has allowed Hinata and Yamaguchi to simply call him Noya—has returned and is back to sitting on the table, Yamaguchi begins to explain.</p><p>“So, I’m going to be going through the middle of your tongue with this piercing. There are two main veins in your tongue and webbing that I have to avoid in order to pierce it properly, and I can promise that I’ve never hit any of them before. I’m going to have you stick out your tongue so I can wipe it off and find the sweet spot.” Noya does as directed and Yamaguchi uses a napkin to soak up saliva from Noya’s tongue and places one on his chest to catch any spit that may fall.</p><p>Yamaguchi then takes Noya’s tongue in his gloved fingers, lifting it to peer at the bottom, pressing his index finger into the bottom of Noya’s tongue to feel where the veins are. He keeps his finger on the spot under his tongue while going to look at the top and find the place above it. It takes him a few moments to ensure he has it right before he’s picking up the clamps and placing them on Noya’s tongue.</p><p>“I’m going to use a shorter bar on you because you have a smaller mouth, but otherwise I’m going to do the piercing now. Are you alright? This is your last chance to back out,” Yamaguchi warns. Noya shakes his head a bit, fierce determination shining in his eyes.</p><p>“You can do it Noya! It’s gonna look so sick!” Tanaka encourages, watching with wide, curious eyes. Sugawara is also observing closely while Daichi is standing a bit further back than the other two, not that Hinata can blame him.</p><p>“Okay, here we go. Take one big deep breath, and...” the needle goes through Noya’s tongue in a second, tip pointing out the bottom, “... all done.”</p><p>“Hinata, hand me the jewelry?” Yamaguchi asks, looking towards the ginger. Hinata nods and quickly opens the jewelry package before handing it over to Yamaguchi to fish out.</p><p>The needle is hollow, allowing the rod of the jewelry to slip in the middle so Yamaguchi can pull it out. Once the rod is in, Yamaguchi quickly screws the ball onto the end to secure it in place, releasing Noya’s tongue and removing the clamps as soon as it’s tight. A bit of drool falls out of Noya’s mouth just before he can retract his tongue, but there’s hardly any sign of blood at all. Just one more perfect piercing executed.</p><p>“Bro… it feels so weird!” Noya exclaims as Yamaguchi uses the napkin to wipe around his mouth before throwing it away. There’s a slight lisp to his voice from the new piercing, but it always goes away with time.</p><p>“Here’s a mirror so you can see it,” Yamaguchi says, handing over a small handheld mirror to the man. Noya immediately sticks his tongue out and smiles at his reflection.</p><p>“Now, I will tell you that your tongue will swell a bit and that it will hurt to eat for a few days. You’ll also have a lisp for about a month or so while you adjust to the piercing and the worst pain will be today,” Yamaguchi explains as he takes his gloves off.</p><p>“Yeah, but it didn’t really hurt when the needle went through. It was only as bad as biting your tongue for a second,” Noya muses, sticking his tongue out once more for his friends to see. Yamaguchi takes the mirror back and goes to clean off the equipment used.</p><p>“Okay, so, who wants to go next? I can pierce ears right now if Suga wants to get his stuff done,” Hinata offers, looking between the three men.</p><p>“Yeah! I’m feeling fine, let’s just do my ears before everything starts hurting!” Noya exclaims as he follows Hinata over to the next table. Tanaka slowly follows behind and Hinata can tell that his act is cracking.</p><p>“I’ll pierce Noya first, then I’ll pierce Tanaka. And trust me, if a tongue is only as bad as biting it for a second, ear piercings are gonna be nothing. I can promise you that much,” Hinata says, giving Tanaka a reassuring look and hoping the man takes it to heart.</p><p>The man visibly loosens up a bit, but he’s still more tense than he was when he arrived. Hinata can’t help but want to ease his tension as much as possible—to get the piercing done quickly and accurately, but to also help him feel more comfortable. Noya jumps onto the new table and Hinata turns away from the taller man.</p><p>It ends up going just as quickly as Hinata was hoping for. Noya took all the piercings like a pro and expertly calmed Tanaka down enough that Hinata could pierce his ears as well. By the time they finished, Yamaguchi was fastening the ball on the end of Suga’s industrial piercing. They all joined Yamaguchi's station to observe.</p><p>Sugawara had gotten his left ear pierced with the long bar, and it seemed that he was planning to get his conch piercings on the right side to balance it out. Sugawara had gotten Daichi to join him at the table and was holding onto the man’s hand tightly. Again, there was no blood and only a slight pain behind the piercing. So far, nothing has happened, and the employees intend to keep it that way.</p><p>“And there you go! One industrial piercing complete! Should we dive right into the conch piercings?” Yamaguchi asks, looking to Sugawara for the answer.</p><p>“If Tanaka doesn’t want to do his helix now, then I’ll do it.” All attention turns to Tanaka who shakes his head. Suga almost looks disappointed before putting on a brace smile.</p><p>“I guess that’s decided then. Alright, bring it on,” the man declares and Yamaguchi sets to work once more.</p><p>Yamaguchi puts on new gloves and has Hinata help him look for any veins in Sugawara’s ear near the piercing sight. When none are found, Yamaguchi uses a pen to mark three dots before going to fetch the needles and jewelry. Hinata watches Sugawara clutch at Daichi’s hand and take a deep breath. His industrial must have hurt more than he was expecting and now he’s tensing up for the conch piercings.</p><p>“Sugawara, there’s no need to worry. Yamaguchi knows what he’s doing and will make sure it’s as painless as possible for you. Just remember to take deep breaths and distract yourself if you start thinking about the pain too much,” Hinata says, looking into the man’s eyes and trying to place his confidence in them. It seems to work partially.</p><p>“Thanks Hinata. I trust Yamaguchi, I just heard that conch piercings hurt worse than other ear piercings do,” Sugawara replies.</p><p>“I’m not sure about that, as I’ve never gotten a conch, but Kenma and Akaashi got theirs done together. We could go ask right now,” Hinata suggests. Sugawara looks at him for a moment before standing and nodding at him. Yamaguchi watches them walk towards the men on the other end of the shop.</p><p>“Kenma! Hey, you got your conch, right? What was it like compared to your other ear piercings?” Hinata calls, hopping over to where the man is now resting. He looks up from his game, eyes flicking from Hinata to Sugawara behind him.</p><p>“It was alright, it wasn’t so bad. It hurt a little bit, but not much worse than a helix. Akaashi has an industrial if you want to ask him,” Kenma supplies before returning his gaze to the game on his phone.</p><p>Hinata beams at Kenma even though he can’t see. “Thanks!”</p><p>They move on to the next man and receive a similar response. “Compared to the industrial, it’s about the same. It’ll hurt at first and there will probably be a drop of blood or two, but then it’s fine. Just don’t get hoops right away and you’ll be good.”</p><p>“Okay, thank you,” Sugawara replies, giving the man a firm nod before Hinata leads them back to Yamaguchi’s station.</p><p>When they arrive, Tanaka is sitting on the table and there’s a needle through his ear. Both men are surprised—they hadn’t been gone long at all—but just watch as Tanaka breathes and Yamaguchi adds the jewelry to the new piercing on his left ear. He’s got a brand new helix piercing and he flashes Sugawara a smile before hopping off the table. Yamaguchi fusses over the man for a few moments before allowing Sugawara onto the table.</p><p>“You’re sure? You can just get one if you want, it doesn’t have to be three,” Yamaguchi tries, offering a reassuring look. Sugawara shakes his head at the man.</p><p>“No, I can do it. I’ll be fine, just do all three quick. Don’t give me time to overthink and change my mind,” he insists, looking down at Yamaguchi from his perch on the table. Yamaguchi relents with a small sigh.</p><p>He grabs a new pair of gloves and retrieves the jewelry and needles he had previously gotten out. Sugawara takes a deep breath as Yamaguchi opens the first needle and hardens his gaze, determination clouding his hazel eyes. Yamaguchi raises the needle and pushes it through in one swift motion, adding the jewelry just as quickly.</p><p>Sugawara lets out another deep breath and closes his eyes, waiting for Yamaguchi to continue. The man takes the hint and pushes the second needle through as Sugawara visibly tenses. Daichi is there in a second, taking Sugawara’s hand and whispering reassurance in his other ear. Hinata beams at the man, a happy feeling rising in him at the sight.</p><p>Sugawara gives Yamaguchi the go ahead for the final piercing, taking all three like a pro. There did end up being a few drops of blood from the three piercings, but it was quickly taken care of before Sugawara had the chance to notice. Everyone smiles at the man and he smiles back just as brightly.</p><p>“Alright! Now it’s time for a tattoo!” Tanaka announces, looking down at Hinata and ruffling his bright hair. Hinata perks up even more at the mention of a tattoo, his time to really shine.</p><p>“Tattoos?” Hinata asks, giving Tanaka a devious smirk and cracking his knuckles, “That’s my area of expertise. Just follow me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I’ve never wanted a tongue piercing more than I did writing this. I don’t think I wanted a tongue piercing at all until writing this. But now I’m considering it (I’m getting a septum at some point) and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing—I’ll let you decide.</p><p>Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave comments, I love to read them!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Angst</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So... I was super busy and had no time to really write today. Along with having no time, I also had no ideas. They’re terrible excuses, but I hope you don’t hold it against me. I promise that tomorrow will have a normal chapter, I already have a game plan for what I’m gonna do.</p><p>But anyway, today’s prompt was <b>Emotionally Constipated</b> and this little prompt thingy I wrote is what I managed to come up with. Please enjoy and don’t hate me too much &gt;w&lt;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why are you so closed off to everyone? What are you hiding from?” [Character A] shouts, frustration and annoyance thick in their voice. [character A] hardly ever snaps at anyone, but now [character B] went and pushed them to the breaking point. A cold feeling of regret and guilt grips at [character B]’s heart and holds on for dear life.</p><p>“I… I’m not hiding!” [B] shouts back. [B] can feel how wide and wild their eyes must look as well as hear the panic lacing their voice, and they hate it. They hate it <i>so much</i>.</p><p>“Bullshit! That’s complete and utter <i>bullshit</i> and you know it!” [A] calls back. It’s like a slap in the face for [B] to be read so easily. They can hardly contain the urge to tremble as rage clouds [A]’s usually cheerful gaze. And it’s all [B]’s fault.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah... it’s a start. Feel free to use this if you want (in your own writing/drawing if you do that), no need to ask permission. Again, tomorrow will have an actual chapter, so this is the only title this will be happening =_=</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. She</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt is *dramatic drum roll* <b>WLW vibes</b>! We love that wholesome lesbian love (or bi or pan or anything of that nature 😁) in this house!</p><p>And, as promised, this chapter is back to normal! I hope you’re ready for 2.3k words of pure, unabashed wlw content! This chapter contains characters from My Hero Academia!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jirou invited Momo over for a songwriting session in the heat of the moment at lunch. She really should have expected the woman to follow through, but Jirou wasn’t ready in the slightest for when Momo knocked on the front door later that night.</p><p>Jirou was wearing simple black ripped jeans, an old band t-shirt, and a flannel tied around her waist when she opened the door. Momo, on the other hand, looked like she was supposed to be at a photoshoot instead of Jirou’s lonely flat. With her long black hair tied up in its signature ponytail and a cream sweater tucked neatly into her black pencil skirt. Tall brown boots with lace up fronts rest on her feet, a cheery smile on her lips.</p><p>“Uh, Momo- I didn’t think you were actually coming!” Jirou scrambles to say, pink blush coloring her cheeks as her eyes widen slightly.</p><p>Momo laughs angelically and Jirou doesn’t swoon, obviously. “Why wouldn’t I, Kyouka? You invited me.”</p><p>It’s like an arrow was shot straight through Jirou’s heart at the use of her first name. Though they had given the other permission to use it last week, Jirou doesn’t think she’ll ever truly get used to it. Momo just smiles innocently at her, unknowing to Jirou’s sudden loss of breath and rapid heartbeat.</p><p>“Right, yeah. Come on in,” Jirou replies, moving out of the doorway to allow Momo inside. Momo thanks her as she takes her shoes off before following Jirou into the apartment.</p><p>“Would you like anything to eat or drink? I’m not sure how long you’re planning to stay,” Jirou offers, waving a hand towards the kitchen as they walked in that direction.</p><p>“I think a glass of water would be fine,” the other woman replies. Jirou gives her a smile before going to retrieve the drink for her. They then make their way to Jirou’s music room and Jirou offers the cushioned chair to Momo while she sits on the floor.</p><p>Jirou’s music room is technically a second bedroom in the three bedroom flat, but Jirou declared the office was too small for all of her musical instruments and songwriting supplies. On the right wall, beside where the door is located, hangs a guitar rack with two electric guitars and one acoustic guitar as well as a violin and a ukulele. Under the rack is a keyboard with the setting to sound like an actual piano, which Momo usually takes advantage of when she’s here.</p><p>In the corner between the right wall and the front wall, a large back chair rests with Momo sitting atop it like a throne and a small table for her to rest her drink. Behind it and across much of the front wall are vinyls and various band photographs and merchandise that Jirou had collected for years before moving into her flat and decorating the room dedicated to music. Jirou’s personal favorite is tied between the large My Chemical Romance flag hung over her corner desk and the Deep Dope tapestry stuck securely to the ceiling of the room due to its size.</p><p>The desk is pushed into the corner of the front wall and left wall, the flag hanging over the top. On the desks surface is a mess of pens, pencils, markers, papers, sticky notes, journals, and even a recording mic for testing out lyrics—there should be a computer hidden in there somewhere, but you can’t tell from the first glance. It’s a mess only Jirou can navigate, and she likes it that way, she likes a little chaos in her otherwise organised and orderly life. Her desk is the perfect place for all that chaos to invade.</p><p>The left wall is covered with letters, pictures, and drawings that have been sent to Jirou since she started her music career. There’s still space on half of the wall, but Jirou makes it a point to read and admire everything she receives—that isn’t threats or harassment—and hang them on the wall to look over at whenever needed. She’s always filled with a glorious pride and happiness when she looks at everything, knowing that her music has helped people in all walks of life. There is no greater reward than helping a stranger through something like music.</p><p>The back wall is lit up by string lights and is relatively plain. Jirou’s drum set is pushed in the left corner. There’s a shelf along the wall holding various speakers, guitar picks, and other items used in Jirou’s music making process. A larger speaker rests on the floor next to the shelf and a second speaker is stacked on top of it, a DJ controller and headphones are placed. And beside that, rests a single stool Jirou usually sits on to play guitar. An old music stand is pushed between the stool and the speakers, nearly squished. Other than that, the wall is empty.</p><p>On the floor lies a fuzzy purple rug that’s softer than rabbit fur and cleaner than hospital hallways over the top of a larger checkered rug that takes up much of the floor space. A spare song journal rests on the floor with a pencil sticking out of its pages. As Jirou settles onto the floor, Momo takes this chance to snatch the journal and open the page to where the pencil is placed.</p><p>“Kyouka, can I read this?” Momo asks with innocence that Jirou doesn’t even blink at.</p><p>“Hmm? Yeah, sure,” Jirou replies without looking up at what Momo is referring to as she grabs the cushion from her desk chair to sit on. That would prove to be a large mistake, Jirou quickly realizing this as she finally turned her gaze to where Momo was scanning her journal.</p><p>“Kyouka… this is really good! I read the first verse and the notes about the rhythm, and I can already tell that this song is going to be different from your usual songs—in a good way! Can you play it for me? I don’t want to read the rest unless you say no,” Momo asks, meeting her eyes and giving her a hopeful look.</p><p>“Uh, depends on what it is. I’m still working out some songs so…”</p><p>“She? Can you sing that one?” Momo flips the journal around and Jirou goes blank. Her heart stops, all the air is sucked from her lungs, and her brain completely shuts down. It takes less than a second for her heart to continue pumping at a faster pace and her breathing to become quicker, but Jirou’s mind can’t seem to wrap around the words the other woman just said.</p><p>“W-which song?” She stutters, eyes going wide as she leans closer to where Momo is holding the journal out for her.</p><p>“She?” Momo repeats, tilting her head to the left in question. If Jirou wasn’t so distressed about the song choice she might think it was cute.</p><p>“A-are you sure you want that one? It’s not very good and I wasn’t planning on ever releasing it or anything. Besides, I have a ton of other songs I could show you that are much better,” Jirou rushes out. Momo giggles lightly at her quick words, a hand going to cover her mouth.</p><p>“Kyouka, what’s the matter? I know you’ve got a million other amazing songs, but what’s the harm in singing this one?” Jirou doesn’t have an excuse for her. Jirou would do anything for the woman sitting before her, and she’d be a bit bitter at that part of her if it weren’t for the sweet way Momo had spoken to her.</p><p>Jirou takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and forcing herself to calm down and speak rationally. “Okay, I’ll sing it for you. Give me a second to get ready?”</p><p>Momo nods and Jirou takes the notebook from her, tucking it under her arm as she moves to grab her acoustic guitar from the rack and pull her stool and the music stand out from the wall. Jirou then sits upon the stool and places the journal on the stand. She knows she won’t really need it, she’s got this song down inside and out, but she at least wants to make an attempt of looking like she hadn’t spent the last three hours practicing it before Momo arrived.</p><p>Jirou starts the song with a soft strumming of the guitar’s strings. It’s not an overly complicated rhythm, sounding a bit harder than it actually is to play. Jirou takes another deep breath and opens her mouth to start singing.</p><p>“Am I allowed<br/>
To look at her like that?<br/>
Could it be wrong<br/>
When she's just so nice to look at?”</p><p>The lines are spaced out to seem longer than it is, brief guitar filling the gaps Jirou’s voice creates. Jirou’s voice is relatively quiet as she reads the lyrics off her journal page, not necessarily out of self-consciousness, but rather from focusing on letting her emotions sing with her in chorus.</p><p>“And she smells like lemongrass and sleep<br/>
She tastes like apple juice and peach<br/>
Oh, you would find her in a Polaroid picture<br/>
And she means everything to me, oh”</p><p>Jirou keeps her eyes down on her journal, but her heart is trying to get her to glance up and see Momo’s reaction. Surely she knows the song is about her, right? Everything about that terrifies Jirou enough to keep her eyes glued to the paper.</p><p>“I'd never tell<br/>
No, I'd never say a word<br/>
And oh, it aches<br/>
But it feels oddly good to hurt”</p><p>Jirou is still fighting herself to keep her eyes down and instead just forces them closed. It’s better than looking up at the woman, but she’s also giving away the fact that she doesn’t need her journal to perform this song. Give and take, Jirou supposes. She continues singing anyways without a hint of hesitation.</p><p>“And she smells like lemongrass and sleep<br/>
She tastes like apple juice and peach<br/>
Oh, you would find her in a Polaroid picture<br/>
And she means everything to me”</p><p>It’s time for the bridge of the song, and Jirou prepares herself for a stronger tone in the second half of the verse. Jirou wills everything into the words spilling from her mouth into the air around them, wishing on every star in the sky that Momo will understand without Jirou having to say any more that the lyrics swirling around the room.</p><p>“Oh (Oh, oh)<br/>
Oh (Oh)<br/>
Oh (Oh, oh)<br/>
Oh (Oh)<br/>
And I'll be okay admiring from afar<br/>
'Cause even when she's next to me<br/>
We could not be more far apart<br/>
And she tastes like birthday cake and storytime and fall<br/>
But to her, I taste of nothing at all”</p><p>Guitar that had grown louder is faint again, along with my voice. What was loud and full of emotion was back to whispers and cold fear at Momo’s reaction that Jirou couldn’t bring herself to even gaze upon. The music didn’t stop and Jirou followed it’s sway.</p><p>“And she smells like lemongrass and sleep<br/>
She tastes like apple juice and peach<br/>
Oh, you would find her in a Polaroid picture<br/>
And she means everything to me<br/>
Yes, she means everything to me<br/>
She means everything to me”</p><p>With the final word, Jirou’s eyes fly open and meet with Momo’s across from her. The guitar stops and Jirou’s voice fades out with the world, the only thing keeping her grounded being the obsidian eyes staring into her lavender ones. Momo’s stare is heavy and unwavering, but the fierceness is still soft and there’s no clear emotion shown, but Jirou doesn’t feel nervous about this. Rather, she feels safe with the other woman around.</p><p>“Kyouka… was that song about me? I need you to tell the truth,” Momo asks, voice steady and calm, also keeping any stray emotion under control. Jirou doesn’t reply, just simply nods her head. Momo nods back once before standing from her seat.</p><p>That’s when Jirou’s heart plummets. Momo is going to leave. She heard Jirou’s song about being hopelessly in love with her and she’s revolted by the idea of a woman loving another woman. Jirou’s world seems to come crashing around her as she shakily stands and sets her guitar against the stool. But she’ll wait until after Momo is gone to cry, she won’t let Momo see her upset. Besides, Jirou knew this would happen—she knew it from the start but sang the song anyways because she can’t say no to Momo. Her demise was her own fault and she could never blame Momo.</p><p>So it surprises her when Momo surges forward and embraces her, arms wrapping around Jirou’s body and pulling her tightly against the other woman. She’s so close that Jirou doesn’t have to use her Quirk to hear her heartbeat. Why isn’t she leaving? Doesn’t she think Jirou’s feelings are disgusting? What is Momo thinking?</p><p>But then Jirou isn’t doing any more thinking. How could she when Momo has pressed her lips against Jirou’s? How is Jirou supposed to focus on anything but their softness and warmth transferring into Jirou’s small and slightly chapped lips? What was Jirou expected to do but kiss her back with just as much as she was getting?</p><p>“Kyouka, I want you to know that I have always felt the same way. Ever since you began showing me your music, I’ve been in love with you. There is nothing I want more than to spend my entire life with you,” Momo says after they’ve broken apart and rested their foreheads together.</p><p>“Yeah, that sounds nice. I can work with forever,” Jirou breathes out. And Jirou can feel the smile on Momo’s lips when they kiss once more. Momo really does taste like lemongrass and sleep. And Jirou wants to taste it everyday of her life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>All credit for the wonderful song goes to Dodie, and lyric credit goes to Genius Lyrics!</p><p>So, I wrote this chapter like the stories in my other work ‘BNHA Band AU’ which really helped me come up with an idea and write it out successfully! If you’re interested in reading that work, it’s on my page, but if not, I totally understand—there’s no pressure to do anything you don’t wanna do 😊</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Wrong Chat, Killua</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I tried using a work skin (shoutout to Corns bc I didn’t know what a work skin was until I read her Brohemian Rhapsody fic XD). This is my first time using something like this, so please be gentle with me &gt;.&lt; (also I guess I kinda stole the look of her work skin too, but I just used a free one I found, idk if it’s actually the same ;p)</p>
<p>Anyways, this chapter’s prompt is: <b>This is Gen Chat</b>! Characters in this chapter come from HxH! Also, feel free to turn off ‘creators style’ if you want!</p>
<p>TW: panic/anxiety (I don’t think it’s an actual anxiety attack, but still be cautious)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody">

<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>ok so</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i was at the gym w/ ikalgo</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>he wasn’t really doing anything bc he only came for ‘moral support’</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>at least that’s what he called it</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>but anyways</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>we were at the gym and you’ll never guess who i saw</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>GON</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>GON WAS AT THE GYM LIFTING WEIGHTS</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>AND HIS ARMS</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>GOD, PLEASE</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I WANT THOSE GODDAMN ARMS TO STRANGLE ME</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>PLEASE RAIL ME</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I AM BUT A SIMPLE MAN WITH SIMPLE NEEDS</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>AND THOSE NEEDS INCLUDE BEING PINNED TO THE WALL AND BEING ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>LIKE ABNOJIOEJGBUWJNW</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>HOW IS HE SO PERFECT ALL THE TIME????</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>ITS NOT FAIR</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HIM</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>HE WAS SO INSANELY GORGEOUS AND I JUST</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>HOW CAN ANYONE BE THAT HOT WHILE LIFTING WEIGHTS AT THE GYM</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>guys i’m so fucking head over heels for this man, i can’t</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i just want to spend the rest of my life with him and never leave his side</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>like i see him  and my heart skips a beat</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i can’t even begin to describe it</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i’m in so deep man, it’s bad</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>but anyways</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof:</b></span>uh, killua?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof:</b></span>ur on gen chat</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>yeah...</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>might wanna delete that before Gon reads it</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Read what?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>What am I not supposed to read?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>SHIT</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>UH NOTHING</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time">26 messages were deleted</span><br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Huh??</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>What did you just delete???</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Now I wanna read it :T</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>too bad</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>you’re too late</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>Wah! So mean!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i am saying my final goodbye</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>wait what</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>it was nice getting to know you</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>what’s going on??</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>it was a good friendship while it lasted</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>seriously, wtf is happening rn</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i’m dying, obviously</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>why do you have to question everything i do</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i take it back, i liked when we weren’t very close</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>you never said anything about my decisions back then</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>okay first off</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>ouch, that stings</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>secondly</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>bitch, that’s r00d</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>and thirdly</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>why tf are you dying</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i accidentally sent a text meant for a group chat with leorio and kurapika</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>to a group chat with leorio, kurapika, and gon</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>ok, and??</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>that hardly seems worthy of a sudden death</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>the text was ABOUT GON</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>again, not that bad??</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I SAID THAT I WANTED GON TO RAIL ME</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>AND THAT I WANTED HIM TO CRUSH ME IN HIS ARMS</span><br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>AND THAT I WANTED TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH HIM</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>OH WE CAN’T FORGET HOW I SAID THAT I WAS HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>AND MY HEART SKIPS WHEN I SEE GON</span><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>oH</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>yeah, rip</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>it was nice fuckin knowin ya</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>there’s no coming back from that one</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>glad to see that you’re quick to drop me like that</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>really shows our bond of friendship is a strong one</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>almost as strong as Gon?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>FUCK YOU</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="orangeleft"><span class="hide"><b>octopussy: </b></span>too soon?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>guys</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>this is the chat w/o Gon right?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>right</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i’d like to make an announcement then</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>whats that</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>an announcement and a request</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>ok shoot</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i’d like to announce that i am leaving this mortal plane through death</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>and request that you destroy my search history along with my possessions</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>whats so bad about your search history</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>or your possessions they cant be that bad</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>yeah, nothing like leorios</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>KURAPIKA</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>THATS A LITTLE OUT OF HAND</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>more like you use your hand</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>oK THEN</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>THIS CONVERSATION HAS GIVEN ME ANOTHER REASON TO WISH FOR DEATH</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>wish for death?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>who are you, some random ‘emo edgy angsty teen’ on social media?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>R00D</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>anyways</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>Gon is texting me, gtg &lt;3&lt;3</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greyleft"><span class="hide"><b>dr doof: </b></span>wtf is that kid</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="yellowleft"><span class="hide"><b>~chain me~: </b></span>oh, just wait</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time"><b>Today </b>3:52PM</span><br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>Hey, Killua?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>Hey, I have something important to ask you</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>So if you could reply… </span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>that would be great</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time"><b>Today </b>3:58PM</span><br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>Killua? Why aren’t you responding?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>hey sorry</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i was texting leorio and kurapika</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>what’s up?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>I’m not gonna say who</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>But someone sent me screenshots of your texts earlier</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>And I was wondering if you were joking or not?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>… what?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>I saw the texts you deleted earlier</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>And I just wanted to know if you were serious</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i-</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>can you give me a little bit?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i need to process this info for a minute</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greenleft"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ): </b></span>Sure?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>thanks</span><br/>
<br/>
</p>
</div>Killua feels like he can't breathe, silently setting his phone down beside him on the bed where he’s sitting. A million thoughts and questions are swirling in his mind and overwhelming him. The room feels too hot and too stuffy and too <i>small</i> all of a sudden, and Killua needs out. He needs to calm down. The question is how to do that. He picks his phone up to send one final text.<div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody">

<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="blueright"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>i’m coming over</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="pinkleft"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>Killua??</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="pinkleft"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>What’s wrong?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="pinkleft"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>Killua?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="pinkleft"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>Well, my dorm door is unlocked</span><br/>
<br/>
</p>
</div>Killua spares a small smile for his phone, grateful towards his sister. The smile is gone just as soon as it’s here, however, and Killua’s chest aches painfully. He quickly stands and makes his way out of his room and then out of his dorm. His feet seem to be on autopilot as he makes his way down the hall, into the elevator, and then out of the building.<p>He managed to grab his skateboard in his hazy rush out the door and now steps onto it. Pushing off, he speeds down the concrete and towards the one place he knows he can let his guard down. Hopefully Alluka’s roommate isn’t around.</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>She was, but one look at Killua and she quickly left them alone. Killua knew he probably looked like a mess, with messy hair and drooping eyes that couldn’t seem to truly focus on anything. Killua hadn’t even changed his old sweatshirt out for a jacket or switched his sweatpants for jeans. Anyone could tell he was upset from just a passing glance.</p>
<p>“Oh Killua…” Alluka started when she saw him, “come here.”</p>
<p>She pats the spot on her bed next to where she is sitting. Killua shuffles over, dropping onto the bed and immediately putting his forehead on Alluka’s shoulder. Her hand comes up to absently play with his hair, something she knows helps Killua calm down.</p>
<p>“I’m so dumb. I made one mistake and now… now I’m like this,” Killua mumbles and Alluka hums.</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about it now?” Killua takes a deep breath and nods against Alluka’s shoulder, never removing his head while his hand digs in his sweatshirt pocket for his phone.</p>
<p>He passes the device over without a word, trusting that Alluka will figure it out. And she does, after a few moments.</p>
<p>“Killua, are you worried about your texts with Gon?” Alluka asks, shifting so that she’s facing Killua and his head is more on her collarbone than her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Did you read the other messages? The ones with Ikalgo and the others?” Killua can feel her nod.</p>
<p>“Yeah.” A moment of silence slides over them and Killua feels like crying. He can’t believe that Gon read those messages. What’s going through his head?</p>
<p>“Killua, do you want to know what I think?” Alluka asks and Killua knows it’s a rhetorical question. He stays quiet, waiting for her to continue.</p>
<p>“I think that Gon wants to seriously talk about this with you. That he isn’t going to make fun of you and that he is genuinely curious if you were being truthful. If I know anything about Gon--which, admittedly, isn’t much--it’s that he would never push you away because of something like this.”</p>
<p>“Alluka, I said that I <i>loved him</i>. How can anyone just ignore that and move on like nothing happened?” Killua asks, finally raising his head to look into Alluka’s eyes. They’re pitiful and Killua hates it. He hates being pitied, but he knows he deserves it.</p>
<p>“You say that because that’s how you think about things. But Gon is a completely separate person with his own thoughts and reactions. You can’t trust your overthinking to come up with what Gon is thinking. That’s only going to get you like this.”</p>
<p>“I know, but-”</p>
<p>“Killua.” Alluka’s tone is more forceful and her pitying gaze has turned more serious. “There is nothing you can say to change that fact. I know you, and I know what you’re thinking. But I also know that you’re overreacting. We’re going to text him back together, right now.”</p>
<p>Killua opens his mouth to protest as his heart involuntarily pounds in his chest. Alluka silences any further argument with one final icy look and Killua shuts his mouth again. He knows it’s futile to argue with Alluka when she sets her mind to something.</p>
<p>“Are you ready?” Alluka asks, her voice and eyes soft as she holds up Killua’s phone. He takes a deep breath and nods. She looks at the phone and starts typing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So... I’m not sure how many words are actually in this chapter, but it seemed pretty long, right? A good length? I hope so &gt;.&lt;</p>
<p>If you left the skin on, what did you think? Did it work for you? And if you turned it off, did it look okay? I’ll take any suggestions and criticism, I want to make sure everything is working/looking as it’s supposed to!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. House Pride</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, today’s prompt was <b>Sorcery</b>, so of course I had to make it a Hogwarts AU. Even if I’ve only read the first book and seen bits and pieces of the movies. But it’s fine, right? I’m sure it’ll be fine.</p>
<p>This story contains characters from My Hero Academia (BNHA)!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When it was declared that Jirou was a Slytherin, she wasn’t exactly surprised. Her mother, after all, had been a Slytherin as well. She did get some surprised glances from a few of those around her and one person who had been standing beside her went out of their way to move away when she joined the group again. Why do people not like Slytherins again?</p>
<p>“Jirou-san! Hey!” One boy Jirou met on the train calls out after everyone has been sorted and they’re about to go their separate ways, and Jirou is eager to find the Slytherin common room.</p>
<p>“Midoriya,” Jirou replies, halting in her path to allow the boy to catch up to her.</p>
<p>“Hey, you’re a Slytherin! I was so sure you were going to get Gryffindor, since your dad was one,” Midoriya comments as he reaches Jirou.</p>
<p>“I think it could have gone either way. I’m not upset about it and can understand where it came from. Besides, it’ll be kind of fun seeing what other kinds of people are going to be in Slytherin,” Jirou says as they start walking, making their way towards the Grand Staircase.</p>
<p>“Well, you’ll have to come visit the Gryffindor dormitory--I’ll make sure to let you in! Even if I can’t visit you in the dungeons.” Jirou gives the boy a warm smile as they head off in separate directions--Midoriya climbing up the stairs towards his tower as Jirou follows behind a group of Slytherins down the stairs.</p>
<p>After Midoriya is gone, Jirou tunes into the older student leading the Slytherin group. They’re introducing themselves and going over a bit of what being a Slytherin is all about, and Jirou just half-listens quietly. Finally, they arrive at the dungeons and are allowed into the dormitory. It’s beautiful, to say the least.</p>
<p>“Wow, I could get used to this,” Jirou comments, taking everything around her in.</p>
<p>The ceilings are vaulted and the entire common room is bathed in a soft green glow from the large windows showing off the view of the lake. Fish swim past, casting small shadows across the floor before disappearing into the depths of the lake once more. Jirou, who has always had exceptional hearing, listens to the quiet lapping of water against the windows and smiles to herself at the calmness of it.</p>
<p>The common room is much larger than Jirou expected, however, and seems to go on forever. Just after the staircase leading into the common room, a tall bookshelf no doubt containing all the books on spells you could ever imagine reaches up on either side. A green leather chair here or there alone with a coffee table sits before the bookshelves, providing a sense of comfort.<br/>Walking along the left side of the common room, Jirou passes two semi closed off rooms--probably for a quieter studying space. More of the green leather chairs and couches sit inside, along with a dark oak table and chairs. A few candles float above the tabletop to provide light, along with the two lamps helping to add more of that hazy green glow.</p>
<p>The group winds their way completely around the outside of the common room, stopping to admire the different aspects and listening to the older students’ commentary. Jirou takes in the sight and moves on, hoping to see everything before dinner is called--whenever that is.</p>
<p>“And down these staircases are the actual dorm rooms. Girls are on the left, boys on the right. Your luggage should already be down there, so you can go sort that out,” the older student says before leaving the new students to themselves. Jirou immediately takes this opportunity to make her way down the left spiral staircase and into the dorms.</p>
<p>It’s a brief walk, the staircase isn’t nearly as long as the Great Staircase had been. The dorm is sectioned off into seven rooms, one dedicated for each year. Heading into the first room, Jirou nearly stops walking after opening the door.</p>
<p>There are five ancient four-poster beds with green silk hangings and bedspreads embroidered with silver thread. Behind the beds hang medieval tapestries depicting the adventures of famous Slyterins and large silver lanterns hang from the ceiling. Large trunks rest at the end of each bed, two armoires standing against the far wall, and a nightstand with three drawers between each bed, all made of the same dark oak the tables had been in the common room. Above the nightstands are built in lamps protruding from the stone walls.</p>
<p>Two beds are placed along the left wall, with two directly opposite on the right wall. Only one bed is on the far wall, seeming like the head of the room. Between the two beds on each side is a window, bringing in more of that soft green glow created by the lake. A window on each side of the bed on the far wall between the nightstands and armoires show something giant swimming down in the deep of the late, but it’s too far for Jirou to make anything out.</p>
<p>Jirou walks over to the second bed on the left, reaching a hand out to delicately touch the bed and trunk, feeling both soft and rough at the same time. A loud <i>meow</i> seems to break Jirou out of her apparent trance, recognising the sound instantly.</p>
<p>“Yami?” Jirou asks, stepping around the bed and over to the holder the black cat is contained in. The feline meows once more and presses her body against the front of the holder, seeming to ask for Jirou to open it for her.</p>
<p>“Jirou, right?” One girl suddenly asks, seeming to appear beside the girl in an instant. Jirou looks over at her, taking in her appearance.</p>
<p>She’s got shoulder length pink hair and dirty goggles on her head. Her eyes seem almost unnaturally gold, but Jirou really shouldn’t say anything because she has <i>purple</i> eyes. The girl is wide eyed and seems eager for something, but Jirou can’t quite tell what it is. She also seems to be physically fit, from what Jirou can tell through her robes.</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah. What’s your name?” Jirou asks, turning to face her fully.</p>
<p>“Hatsume Mei!” The girl hooks a thumb towards herself and offers her a wide smile. Jirou gives her a small smile in return.</p>
<p>“Ooh, are we introducing ourselves? I’m Toga Himiko!” A blonde girl calls, hopping over to them.</p>
<p>“Jirou Kyouka, nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>“Are there supposed to be two other people here?” Hatsume asks, looking around the room. Jirou hadn’t noticed, but only three out of five are present at the moment.</p>
<p>“Maybe they’re trying to make friends!” Toga suggests, flopping down backwards onto the bed Jirou had wanted to take.</p>
<p>“Hmm… guess we’ll have to pick our beds without them!” Hatsume cheers, following Toga in falling onto the bed.</p>
<p>“I was hoping to maybe take this one,” Jirou comments, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking down at the other two girls.</p>
<p>“Really? That’s fine! I want the one across from it!” Toga chirps, standing and quickly moving to the opposite end of the room.</p>
<p>“And I wanted the next one over. So this all worked out perfectly anyways!” Hatsume adds, moving just as quickly as Toga had to her preferred bed.</p>
<p>Jirou stands and looks between the two other girls before looking out one of the windows. <i>Let’s just hope that Hogwarts is ready for us, because I don’t plan on losing any of the House Cups. And something tells me my house is thinking the same thing. This should be a fun seven years, especially if things go according to plan.</i></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I decided that Jirou was gonna be a Slytherin before I started reading up on what other people thought she would be, and I was happy that my *ahem* <i>assessment</i> was correct. Other students I think would be Slytherins are Shinsou, Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Monoma. Aizawa would probably be the Head of Slytherin, too.</p>
<p>Anyways, I’m a Slytherin, if you couldn’t tell. I’m interested to know your house/the houses you think certain characters belong in, so feel free to drop that in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Running</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Emote</b>! As Corntober is also for drawing, this prompt was probably directed towards that, but nevertheless, I tried my best.</p><p>And a fair warning: I hate how this turned out because the prompt was very much difficult to twist into a written chapter. I hope you enjoy anyways. This chapter contains characters from HxH.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Killua and Leorio were both at Killua’s apartment, Killua off doing something in his room as Leorio is on his phone in the living room. They’re waiting for Kurapika and Alluka to arrive so they can start planning for how to help the girl move into an apartment in their building. Honestly, everyone they know lives in this one apartment complex. Well, maybe not <i>everyone</i>, but you get the point.</p><p>The main thing was that Killua had left Leorio to himself in the living room and Leorio was getting bored. Very bored. Extremely bored. Immensely bored. Imposs--I think you get the point. So Leorio decided that he was going to try and find the man. He had to be around here somewhere, and Leorio hates waiting around, especially when the host is nowhere to be found. Kurapika disappears on him enough in their apartment across the hall, and Leorio isn’t about to let Killua do the same.</p><p>So Leorio stands and stalks down the hallway leading towards the bedroom where Leorio thinks Killua has disappeared off to. He arrives before the ajar door and hears a faint noise coming from within. Deciding against a knock, Leorio allows himself into the room.</p><p>“Hey, Killua-” Leorio starts before the man is yelling.</p><p>“Leorio! You can’t just barge in! What if I had been changing or something?” Killua shouts, reaching forward from where he’s sitting on the bed to grab the remote for his tv. On screen, two people seem to be fighting, but Killua turns it off before Leorio can see any more of it.</p><p>“The door wasn’t closed, so I thought it would be fine. Jeez, I’ll try to remember that next time. What were you watching anyways?”</p><p>“It’s none of your business. Just go back to the living room and wait for Kurapika and Alluka. And don’t move this time.” Leorio huffs but knows that arguing with Killua has proven useless too many times in the past and turns to walk back down the hallway.</p><p>He settles back down on the couch with a frown and goes back onto his phone, searching for something, <i>anything</i> to cure his boredom. He decides to copy Killua and watch something, only his isn’t animated and it’s about doctors. No matter how many times Kurapika judges him and makes comments about his show choice, Leorio continues to watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ anyways. Besides, Kurapika watches murder mystery documentaries, so he’s not much better. At least Leorio thinks so.</p><p>About an episode and a half later, Kurapika and Alluka are knocking on the apartment door and Leorio is getting up to greet them. Alluka calls out to her brother in an announcement of her arrival before slipping her shoes off and following the men into the living room. Leorio takes up his former position on the couch as Kurapika and Alluka remain standing. Killua enters the room.</p><p>“Hey Killua, are you wearing your running bottoms… and your hoodie?” Kurapika asks, a concerned look taking over his gaze.</p><p>“Killua, are you going running?” Alluka asks, just as concerned as Kurapika. Killua just looks at them before leaving silently. Kurapika and Alluka immediately turn on Leorio.</p><p>“Have fun!” Leorio calls just before the door closes. Kurapika and Alluka stare wide-eyed at him.</p><p>“Oh my god, what is wrong with Killua?”</p><p>“Yeah, what happened--are you guys okay?”</p><p>“Killua is going for a run,” Leorio starts, looking down at his phone before scoffing, “if anything we should be asking what is <i>right</i> with him.”</p><p>“He only goes running if he’s upset, and he’s wearing his sad hoodie. And by the looks of it, it’s been washed which is <i>bone chilling</i>,” Kurapika reasons. Leorio can’t help but roll his eyes. They’re being a little dramatic, aren’t they? It’s not that weird for Killua to go on a run.</p><p>“He’s fine; everything is okay.”</p><p>Just then, Gon bursts in. He has a wild sort of look in his eye and seems out of breath. Leorio, Kurapika, and Alluka turn to look at him in surprise. They weren’t exactly expecting Gon to show up anytime soon.</p><p>“I just passed Killua, on the street, <i>running</i>! On <i>purpose</i>! Oh my god!” Gon exclaims all too loud.</p><p>“Maybe I was wrong…” Leorio says, looking between the others. Gon runs over to the window of the apartment and slides it open, sticking his head out of it.</p><p>“Killua, are you okay? I see you! And I love you!” Gon calls out, attracting attention from bystanders on the street.</p><p>“In my defence,” Leorio begins, looking from Gon to the others, “no one here emotes in a normal way.”</p><p>Kurapika nods understandingly. “That’s fair.”</p><p>“What do you think set him off? He hasn’t gone running for a while,” Alluka asks, looking up at Leorio.</p><p>“I’m not sure. Before you guys got here, he was in his room watching some show before he yelled at me to leave.” Leorio rubs the back of his neck, raising his gaze to the ceiling. For some reason, Alluka is surprised at his answer.</p><p>“Did you see what show it was? Or at least what was happening in it?” The girl asks. Leorio goes quiet in thought once more.</p><p>“I think there was this person with lots of wings and long blonde hair fighting this big beast person. I don’t know the name, but that’s all I saw. Before I was rudely forced out.”</p><p>Alluka snaps and points at nothing in particular. “That’s it! I think I know what happened.”</p><p>“Oh? Care to share?” Kurapika asks after managing to drag Gon away from the window and distract him with an orange.</p><p>“He’s been super into this show, and I think the ending made him upset. Upset enough to put on his sad hoodie and go running, of all things. Plus the show is only ten episodes total, so there’s not gonna be any further episodes.”</p><p>“Is that the one he texted me about?” Gon chimes in, tilting his head to the side slightly. He looks like a puppy when he does that. A large puppy that’s actually a human adult, but a puppy nonetheless.</p><p>“Probably. He started it yesterday and got super into it. I warned him beforehand though, so it’s really his own fault for watching it.”</p><p>“I wish Leorio would take my advice and stop watching that dumb doctor show he’s obsessed with,” Kurapika comments, sending him a look. Leorio scowls at him.</p><p>“It’s not my fault you have no taste! And besides, you’re the one watching <i>documentaries</i> instead of actual tv like a normal person,” Leorio shoots back, crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p>“You’re insufferable!”</p><p>“And you’re the one who wanted to room with me to save money! It’s your own fault that you have to watch my shows with me.”</p><p>“Guys, can we not argue about this? I think we have other matters to attend to first.”</p><p>“Right. What are those?” Gon asks, looking at Alluka.</p><p>“We have no idea where Killua is going or when he’s going to be back. And personally, I’d like to see my brother again after today.”</p><p>“Pfft, as if there are any kidnappers out there.”</p><p>“I think you’re forgetting about the fact that this is <i>Chicago</i>, Gon. It’s not exactly the safest city in the world.”</p><p>“Yeah, but at least it isn’t Milwalkee or Detroit. There are some bad cities in the Midwest alone.”</p><p>“That’s not the point! Can we- can’t we just go find Killua? Please?” With Alluka asking like that, no one dares to defy her will. And so, the four of them leave the apartment to search for the man running in the opposite direction. They can only hope to find him before dinner.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here’s the <a href="https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJPbPc1q">audio inspiration</a> for this chapter! I’m almost 100% sure it’s from New Girl, but I’m not all the way there.</p><p>Btw, do any of you know what Killua was watching? Could you figure it out through the very vague clues I gave? If so, drop it in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Rouge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay so I was kinda unmotivated to write this chapter, but I powered through it for you—yes, you, dear reader! Today’s prompt is: <b>Gamer Energy</b>!</p><p>I got inspiration from the <i>incredible</i> artist ikimaru.jpg on Instagram and Tumblr! Go check out their art, it’s totally worth it! This chapter contains characters from Voltron~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Monsters and Mana is an online roleplaying game that seemed to take the world by storm. At first, it was only a computer game. But once it came out in VR, suddenly it was less of a nerdy game and more of a ‘hey, this is actually really cool’ kind of game. Which is how thirty million people bought the game the first month it released. Yeah, a lot of people wanted to play it.</p><p>Out of these thirty million individuals were five teenagers—okay, four teenagers and one adult—that had long since been playing the game. Three of the teens were close friends, while the last teen and the adult were closer to brothers than friends. They had no relation to each other, besides attending the same school--the same school the adult had graduated from only a couple years prior. Even so, all five made sure to buy the new VR game as soon as pre-orders were open.</p><p>The three friends often dedicated their weekends to playing the game and had racked up high levels and wealth over the two years they had played together. Most of this was through honest means, but not all of it. Lance’s character <i>was</i> a thief, after all, and he often used that as an excuse when Hunk or Pidge tried to scold him for stealing gold from other players.</p><p>The other two, alternatively, didn’t play very often. Though Shiro tried his best, juggling college and a regular gaming schedule was harder than it seemed. So he and Keith only played when they could. To make up for their lack of time spent playing the game, they would go on all types of difficult quests and such to further their rankings. They played <i>much</i> more honestly than Lance ever would.</p><p>When they learned about the VR game coming out, all five made sure to buy it. It wasn’t the type of VR that requires the player to do much actual walking, rather using handheld controllers instead. That made the appeal so much greater, in the long run.</p><p>Another big appeal was the ability to customize your character. You could be a thief, sorcerer, paladin, rouge, dwarf, and a number of other things. The ability to be completely unique from other players drew in large masses of people. With both free and buyable items at their disposal, people took full advantage of this feature.</p><p>Now, even though Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were classmates of Keith’s, the man didn’t know they played Monsters and Mana. Not that it was that surprising—he knew next to nothing about anyone other than Shiro. So he was a tiny bit shocked when Lance announced it in class.</p><p>“Since the Monsters and Mana VR game comes out tomorrow, I’d like everyone here to know my player’s name. That way, you can send me a friend request and we’ll both get coins from it,” Lance had said. And if Keith had been playing any less attention, he would’ve missed it completely.</p><p>“The name’s Pike, and don’t forget it,” Lance continues, sending a wink with his words. A sudden thought strikes Keith that has him biting back a devious smile.</p><p>And so, next week when Shiro and Keith tried out the VR game for the first time, Keith decided to make good on Lance’s request—just in a different sense.</p><p>After Keith and Shiro completed their final quest of the day, Keith took off on his own for a bit. It was fine with Shiro, he had wanted to check out the new map after all, and Keith decided that he would let the man do so by himself. So while Shiro ran off in one direction, Keith went the opposite way.</p><p>Keith had actually tracked Lance down before Shiro had logged on and, thanks to his Rouge abilities, placed a tracker he had bought on Lance’s character without being caught. There were times, however, that Keith was positive that Lance had seen him, but he was able to pull off the feat in the end. Now, Keith pulls up the map on his screen and runs towards the blinking of the tracker.</p><p>Lance, Hunk, and Pidge are walking through the Elder Forest when Keith arrives. Pidge’s player, a dwarf clad in heavy armor, and Hunk’s player, a sorcerer wearing a green tunic and carrying a tall staff, are dealing with an ogre. Lance’s character, a thief with wolf ears and tail, is popping in and out of existence to land a blow or two here and there. He’s not really helping, but Keith opts to wait until the ogre is defeated before making himself known.</p><p>And, after Pidge brings her axe down on the ogre’s nose, it disappears, leaving a bag of coins and a green crystal sitting on the ground where it stood a moment earlier. Lance scoops the bag up with a smirk as Pidge and Hunk observe the crystal. With the other two distracted, Keith decides now is the best chance he’s got. He drops down from where he had been perched in the trees and places his right hand on Lance’s waist, spinning him around to face him.</p><p>Lance is surprised, eyes wide and mouth agape. Keith uses his other hand to secretly snatch the coin bag and any other gold he had on hand--which was much more than Keith was expecting but not unwelcome--as his right hand leaves Lance’s waist to gently brush across Lance’s cheek and close his mouth. Lance is stockstill and shocked into silence.</p><p>Keith’s mask conceals the massive smirk growing on his lips as he takes a step away from Lance, holding the coin bag up before turning and running into the cover of the forest where he knew Lance wouldn’t follow. A few moments later, he could hear faint yelling as Lance broke out of his trance. Keith’s smile didn’t leave until after he logged off for the night.</p><p>Yeah, Keith is going to have a lot of fun playing the new VR game. As long as Lance doesn’t find out it’s him, there’s nothing Keith can’t get away with. Monsters and Mana just got a whole lot more enjoyable.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Can you tell I’ve never played D&amp;D, online role playing games, or VR games (okay, I did play VR once, and it was a puzzle game, but that doesn’t really count)? I hope it wasn’t too terrible =_=</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Wonderwall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Serenade</b>! I hope y’all are ready for this one!</p>
<p>Deck without stairs <a href="https://d12m281ylf13f0.cloudfront.net/images09/deck-inspections/deck-transparent-house.jpg">link</a> (I swear it makes sense with context XD). This chapter contains characters from Voltron!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On a dare from Veronica, Lance stands on the ground outside of Keith’s family home, in the middle of the grassy backyard and staring at the house’s deck. Hunk, Pidge, and Veronica are with him—Veronica hiding behind the bushes with her camera focused on Lance as the other two awkwardly stand behind him—and Lance is both glad and annoyed at the company. Glad because he doesn’t want to be alone, but annoyed at the fact that they’re going to witness what he’s about to do.</p>
<p>Letting out a sigh, Lance looks down at the guitar in his arms. Is he really about to do this? He knows the answer, obviously, but he really wishes he could swallow his pride and not go through with the dare. The dare to <i>serenade Keith</i>. Yeah, that Keith—Keith Kogane, also known as ‘Emo Keith’ or ‘Keith-that-wants-absolutely-nothing-to-do-with-Lance’ or even ‘Lance’s rival’ if you felt like throwing that in the mix. Lance <i>really</i> doesn’t want to go through with this.</p>
<p>“What are you waiting for, Loverboy Lance?” Veronica cackles from her hiding place. Lance shoots a glare in her direction before taking a deep breath. Thankfully, Lance already explained the song to Hunk and Pidge who were there as both moral support and instrumental support.</p>
<p>“Okay, ready?” Lance asks his friends, getting two nods in return. Lance nods back and looks up to the deck. His chest tightens and Lance sees the light behind the dark curtains and knows Keith is still awake at the ripe hour of midnight on a Friday.</p>
<p>Veronica must have grown impatient waiting for Lance to start and throws a small stick at the patio door on Keith’s deck, a loud <i>thunk</i> sounding out and making Lance’s heart rate skyrocket.</p>
<p>“Veronica!” Lance hisses, quiet but also loud enough to serve as a warning. The woman goes silent.</p>
<p>“Come on Lance, let’s just get this over with,” Pidge says with a bored voice, left hand going to push up her glasses as her right hand holds onto the tambourine Veronica gave her. Lance can’t exactly argue with Pidge and instead goes to begin strumming his guitar.</p>
<p>It’s a slightly older song—it came out in 1995, just four years before Keith was born and five before Lance had been born. Lance had contemplated singing a Spanish song, but opted out of it because only Veronica and himself would know it and what it meant. So he decided on an English song that he was sure all of them had heard before.</p>
<p>“Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you<br/>
By now, you should have somehow realised what you gotta do<br/>
I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now”</p>
<p>Keith hadn’t shown his face yet, but there was a silhouette standing in the way of the light at the patio door. So far, it’s just Lance’s voice and his guitar, but the tambourine will come in soon. Maybe Keith will stay standing behind the curtain so Lance won’t have to see his face for the entirety of the song. He’s never been happier than he is now that the deck doesn’t have stairs leading to the ground so Keith can’t come down after him.</p>
<p>“Backbeat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out<br/>
I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you never really had a doubt<br/>
I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now”</p>
<p>It’s almost time for the chorus and Hunk and Pidge raise their tambourines to match the steady beat Lance’s guitar follows. Keith still hasn’t shown his face, but a hand has reached around the curtain to rest on the handle of the patio door. Lance’s already racing heart seems to speed up even more, and he can’t seem to find a reason why. Keith doesn’t make Lance nervous, so why is his heart pounding so rapidly?</p>
<p>“And all the roads we have to walk are winding<br/>
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding<br/>
There are many things that I would like to say to you<br/>
But I don't know how”</p>
<p>There’s a small pause in the lyrics before the chorus and Lance sucks in a deep breath in preparation. If he’s already here and being filmed for blackmail, he might as well make it worth his time and embarrassment. His hands fly across the guitar strings and his mind completely shut off, allowing the music to lead the way.</p>
<p>“Because maybe<br/>
You're gonna be the one that saves me<br/>
And after all<br/>
You're my wonderwall”</p>
<p>After all those drawn out notes, all the music ends for a moment before starting up again. Hunk and Pidge take a small break from playing. Keith’s hand seems to have tightened its grip on the patio door, but otherwise not moved. If Lance were thinking clearly, he wouldn’t have known if he were happy or sad at that.</p>
<p>“Today was gonna be the day, but they'll never throw it back to you<br/>
By now, you should've somehow realised what you're not to do<br/>
I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now”</p>
<p>Hunk and Pidge are back to playing once more and Lance plays with more confidence. His voice, which had been quiet at the start of the song, has slowly gotten louder and more bold with each line of lyrics. Lance closes his eyes and dives into the pre-chorus.</p>
<p>“And all the roads that lead you there were winding<br/>
And all the lights that light the way are blinding<br/>
There are many things that I would like to say to you<br/>
But I don't know how”</p>
<p>If Lance had left his eyes open and focused more on the deck, he would have seen Keith open the patio door and slowly step out through it. With his usual attire of ripped black jeans, an old back t-shirt, and a flannel tied around his waist, he ventures out into the crisp midnight air and silently watches the trio on the ground below him. But Lance is left clueless and nobody says anything to change that. </p>
<p>“I said maybe<br/>
You're gonna be the one that saves me<br/>
And after all<br/>
You're my wonderwall”</p>
<p>The chorus repeats in place of a bridge, the setup of the song slightly different than other songs Lance learned on the guitar. There’s no break in between the two and Lance’s voice doesn’t falter for even a moment as his eyes remain closed. If only he would open them and meet the dark ones stuck to him like glue.</p>
<p>“I said maybe (I said maybe)<br/>
You're gonna be the one that saves me<br/>
And after all<br/>
You're my wonderwall”</p>
<p>Lance finally, <i>finally</i> opens his eyes again. And maybe it wasn’t that long that they were closed, but it seemed to last a lifetime in the time Keith had been standing at the edge of his deck with his hands on the railing, slightly leaning over to peer down at him. Lance blinks and immediately locks his blue eyes on obsidian ones. His breath hitches and everything immediately fades to the background around them. It’s only them and the music left.</p>
<p>“I said maybe (I said maybe)<br/>
You're gonna be the one that saves me (That saves me)<br/>
You're gonna be the one that saves me (That saves me)<br/>
You're gonna be the one that saves me”</p>
<p>Lance strums the guitar for a good amount of time before letting his hands come to a stop. Hunk and Pidge stopped their playing before he had, but that didn’t matter to Lance. With Keith watching him silently with wide eyes, Lance can’t seem to find it in himself to stop with them. He seems to be in a trance and doesn’t have the will to break out of it.</p>
<p>“Lance…” Keith rasps and Lance shoves his guitar towards Pidge before stumbling his way over to the deck, standing under it and reaching his hand up towards where Keith is reaching down over the railing. They clasp hands and Lance’s stomach is taken over by enormous butterflies.</p>
<p>The deck is low enough they can hold hands but high enough off the ground that anything else is impossible. Lance is cursing the lack of stairs that he had earlier praised, deciding that he very much wanted Keith to come down to his level. It’s like a lifeline, their entwined hands. Lance feels like everything he’s ever needed in life is standing on the deck before him. How hadn’t he realized this sooner? How had he missed the very obvious pining on either end? How had he been so blind?</p>
<p>Lance has never been happier to have played truth or dare with his sister than he has now. And he knows that Veronica can tell by simply looking at the dopey grin on his lips. He’ll have to make sure to thank her if he ever manages to pry himself away from the man before him, but that isn’t likely to happen any time soon. He supposes Veronica will just have to wait a while.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This wonderful song comes from Oasis, and lyrics from Genius Lyrics!</p>
<p>This was also based off the chapters in my BNHA Band AU story and was a very nice story to write after going out of my comfort zone for the last couple chapters (and not really writing what I liked) :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Tears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Teeth</b>!</p><p>So, there isn’t any blood or anything, but I’d you get squeamish around doctors or dentists, you can totally skip this chapter. Otherwise, enjoy a drabble with our favorite My Hero Academia characters!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wisdom teeth removal. That’s what Kaminari had planned for this warm, sunny Saturday in the middle of the spring. He really wished it were storming or there was an unexpected blizzard to match his mood. Kaminari <i>did not</i> want to get his wisdom teeth removed.</p><p>Of course, there was the fact that it would hurt. He wouldn’t really be able to eat for a bit and there would be cotton stuffed in his cheeks, something he wasn’t exactly excited for. But the biggest thing was that his appointment is on the weekend. That means his friends can tag along--though they wouldn’t be allowed into the building and would have to stay in the parking lot while his mother joined him--and see him while the laughing gas was still in effect. For someone with hardly a filter in the first place, this was sure to be a traumatic event.</p><p>“Kami!” Mina coos, twisting in her seat to look at where the blonde man is sitting in the backseat. “I’m so excited! This is going to be so much fun!”</p><p>“Maybe for you. I’m the one that has to get my <i>bones removed</i>,” Kaminari grumbles with a pout. His arms are crossed over his chest and he’s slouched in his seat with the seat belt digging into his waist.</p><p>“Come on, Kaminari, you know you’re overreacting,” Kaminari’s mother chides from the drivers seat. Kaminari pouts harder and Sero cackles from the back of the van.</p><p>Kirishima beside him sends an elbow to his side that has Kaminari squawking in offense. “Yeah, Kaminari, it’ll be fine! You’re super manly for going to the dentist! Good health and hygiene is important!”</p><p>Kaminari wanted to throttle Kirishima. He didn’t feel particularly ‘manly’ and he would rather get scurvy than get his teeth pulled out. Yeah, scurvy sounded really good right about now. Unfortunately for him, his mother pulled into the dentist’s office parking lot and stopped in one of the available spots. His chance to duck and roll out of the car while they were still driving has passed and he isn’t leaving this parking lot without laughing gas.</p><p>“Alright everybody! Only Kaminari and I are going to be inside, so you’ll just have to wait for a while. It’s supposed to take forty five minutes to an hour, so I’m going to leave the keys here in case you want to listen to the radio or turn on the air conditioning. Just don’t leave,” Kaminari’s mom instructs to look at the five teens in the car with her.</p><p>She gets nods and a salute from Mina before stepping out and pressing the button to automatically open the door next to Kaminari. A few ‘good luck!’ and ‘have fun!’s called out before Kaminari closed the door after climbing out. Hopefully this is over quickly.</p><p>~</p><p>It lasted as long as they had expected it to, and Kaminari was a babbling mess as his mother helped him back out to the car. She helped him sit down in his seat and even buckled him in.</p><p>“Mama, I love you,” Kaminari sings, smiling at his mother and raising a hand to pat her cheek softly. She smiles down at him warmly before shutting the door and making her way over to the drivers seat.</p><p>“Kaminari, you did it! I knew you were manly enough to do it!” Kirishima congratulates, reaching a fist over for a fist bump.</p><p>“Yeah! It was, like, super cool. I got to try this cool air and then they let me watch a movie on the <i>ceiling</i>. I want a tv on our ceiling.”</p><p>His mother chuckles as she backs out of the parking spot and then starts out of the parking lot. “You can ask your father when we get home.”</p><p>“So Kami… is there anything you want to tell us?” Mina coos, holding her phone up and smiling deviously at him.</p><p>And then Kaminari is crying. Fat, hot tears are streaming down Kaminari’s cheeks as he looks around the car at all his friends. Mina’s smile falls to the floor and shatters.</p><p>“I just… I l-love you all so-so much! And I’m hap-ppy that we met be-because I have so much fun with-th you all,” Kaminari stutters and hiccups out around sobs. With his brain as muddled as it currently is, there wasn’t a single thing keeping him from spilling everything to his friends.</p><p>“Aw, Kami! You’re going to make me cry!” Mina calls, a watery look in her own eyes.</p><p>“It’s tr-true! I don’t know wh-what I would do without-t you all. You’re the best fr-fr-friends I’ve ever had before.”</p><p>“Kami!”</p><p>“M-Mina, I love your pink h-hair and how you d-dance. And I love S-Sero’s smile and his-s jokes.”</p><p>“Kirishima-ma has the best at-attitude and is so ni-nice all the time. And Bakugou is just so <i>c-cool</i> and I-I want him to li-like me.”</p><p>“Oh honey, I think everyone likes you. Even Bakugou,” Kaminari’s mother reassures with a soft voice.</p><p>“M-mom! You do-don’t know that!” Kaminari whines, more tears falling and running down his chin to his throat and then being soaked up by Kaminari’s hoodie.</p><p>“I don’t hate you, Dunce Face,” Bakugou grumbles from the back seat of the van.</p><p>“See? With Bakugou, that’s as good as it gets!” Kirishima says encouragingly. Kaminari begins to cry harder.</p><p>“This is going to be an interesting few hours before the laughing gas wears off. I hope you kids are ready for a lot of tears,” Kaminari’s mother sighs from the front seat.</p><p>“Oh? How do you know?” Sero asks.</p><p>The woman just laughs, eyes never leaving the road. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but that boy wears his emotions on his face and his heart on his sleeve. Plus, his father cried even <i>after</i> the laughing gas wore off when he got his wisdom teeth removed.”</p><p>“Mom! Th-that’s not true! D-dad never cries!” Kaminari whines. His mother just chuckles again and shakes his head. This time, she doesn’t elaborate.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I haven’t gotten my wisdom teeth out, but if you had, what kind of stuff did you say? Any if that wasn’t anything, then that’s fine too!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Bathroom Stalls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So... this was the prompt I was <i>not</i> look forward to, but I think it turned out okay in the end? I’m not sure, I’ll leave that up to you. But anyway, today’s prompt is: <b>Piss</b>!</p><p>This is slightly NSFW but not really (not in the way you’re probably thinking, ya nasty) so that’s chill. Anyways, please enjoy more My Hero Academia characters (can you tell I default to BNHA when I wanna be more comfortable?)!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bakugou had just wanted to take a pee, but that’s what got him into this mess. Where he’s now shoved into a tiny bathroom stall, sitting on Kirishima’s lap with his feet around the man's back and his chest pressed tightly against Kirishima’s. Kirishima has his arms wrapped around Bakugou’s waist to keep him in place and is sitting on the toilet seat fully clothed. Bakugou is mortified, but there is absolutely nothing he can do about it.</p><p>It started out completely normal. Bakugou had been changing out of his hero costume and back into his school uniform after class when he had the urge to use the bathroom. Completely, absolutely ordinary.</p><p>So he finished changing and moved towards the bathroom in the boys locker room to take care of it. Still, everything was normal as he wandered over to the bathroom and picked out a uinal to use. He was able to use the bathroom in peace, and wash his hands with no problems. It was only when he tried to leave that seemed to be a mistake.</p><p>No, everything had been fine until Bakugou stepped up to the doorway leading back into the main changing room. Because just when his foot crossed over the line in the floor, that’s when Kirishima rushed towards him in a wild haste to escape <i>something</i>. But he had crashed into Bakugou and just forced the man along with him.</p><p>“Bakugou! Hurry, before Kaminari-” Kirishima rushes out, shoving him backwards before a loud shriek sounds out.</p><p>“Kirishima! You, dirty <i>motherfucker</i>, I’m going to absolutely fucking <i>destroy</i> you!” Kaminari shouts, sounding absolutely furious. What did Kirishima do to make that ditsy dumbass so angry?</p><p>“Oi, Shitty Hair, what are you-” Bakugou starts before Kirishima’s hand clamps over Bakugou’s mouth as he pushes the both of them into the closest stall and locks the door.</p><p>“Shh! You can’t let him hear us!” Kirishima demands, turning on him and taking a step forwards. Bakugou takes a step back in turn and his knees hit the edge of the toilet seat and nearly falls on it.</p><p>“Let me out, I have nothing to do with this!” Bakugou hisses, heat flooding his face out of anger. Not embarrassment, obviously, just rage.</p><p>“But you gotta help me out, man!” Kirishima tries, voice low as he takes another step towards Bakugou and Bakugou knows he can’t take another one backwards--there isn’t enough room in the tiny stall.</p><p>“I don’t <i>gotta</i> do anything, Shitty Hair! Let me outta here!” Bakugou’s voice must have been louder than Kirishima wanted because the man’s eyes went wide and he rushed to cover Bakugou’s mouth. That meant getting all up in his space and there was nothing Bakugou could do to prevent it.</p><p>“Bakugou, man, please just help me this once? I promise I’ll make it up to you.” Kirishima gives him a desperate and pleading look and Bakugou can’t find it in himself to say no. Why couldn’t he say no?</p><p>“Tsk, fine, whatever. But Dunce Face is going to see two pairs of shoes under the door and I’m <i>not</i> sitting on the toilet seat,” Bakugou says with a sigh after Kirishima removed his hands again.</p><p>“Right, uh… here I’ll sit down and you sit on me.”</p><p>Bakugou reels, and if he could move, he definitely would’ve stumbled back a few steps. “Wh-What? Are you insane? We can’t do that!”</p><p>“Bakugou! If you know where Kirishima is, you have to tell me <i>right now</i>!” Kaminari calls out and Bakugou almost, <i>almost</i> feels guilty for being loud after he told Kirishima he would try to help him.</p><p>“Bakugou! Be quiet!” And Kirishima was switching their positions, quickly twisting them so he was against the toilet and Bakugou had his back to the stall door. Kirishima doesn’t let Bakugou take a moment to step back and regain his cool before pulling the man towards himself and sitting down on the toilet seat.</p><p>And that’s how they got in this position. With Kirishima dangerously close to Bakugou and taking up all of his personal bubble. Bakugou can feel his breathing become deeper and more intense, and he knows that Kirishima can probably feel it where their chests are <i>pressed together</i>, but Bakugou is trying not to focus on that. Rather, he’s trying to focus on anything but the man under him.</p><p>He forces himself to ignore the strong biceps and large, warm hands pressed against his torso. Ignore the thick thighs under his ass, and ignore the tight shoulders under Bakugou’s own hands. He tries not to dwell on the warmth of Kirishima’s chest seeping into his own as he feels the steady beating of his heart. Kirishima’s breath fans over his jaw and neck as Bakugou makes sure to turn his head so he’s staring at the bathroom stall wall instead of down into dazzling red eyes. And if he feels the way Kirishima’s arms tighten and force them <i>even closer</i> so that Bakugou’s ass is basically on Kirishima’s dick, he doesn’t acknowledge it.  No, he’s definitely not thinking about any of that, he’s simply listening to the locker room grow quieter as each person shuffles through the door.</p><p>In this time of listening, he manages to hear Kaminari’s footsteps enter the bathroom and he starts banging on the stall door they’re trapped in. Kirishima gives him a fearful, desperate look and Bakugou knows he’s going to regret all of this for the rest of his life.</p><p>“Occupied,” he growls out, forcing his tone to be angry and sharp and definitely not like he’s <i>sitting on Kirishima’s lap</i>.</p><p>“Bakugou? Is that you in there?” Kaminari asks, voice low and slow.</p><p>“Dunce Face, you better get the fuck out of here before I blow your ass up so bad they’ll be piecing you back together for weeks. I said <i>occupied</i>.”</p><p>“Okay… but if you know where Kirishima is…” Kaminari trails off and there’s something threatening implied in his words.</p><p>“Get the fuck out! Go to fucking class!”</p><p>“Fine, fine.” His footsteps fade out and the sound of the locker room door opening and shutting is heard. The locker room is silent but neither of them make any move until a minute later when they were positive Kaminari had actually left and wasn’t lurking in wait.</p><p>Still they were silent as Bakugou climbed off Kirishima’s lap and left the bathroom to sweep the locker room. It was completely empty, and Bakugou made sure to double check everything before going back to the bathroom.</p><p>“It’s clear, you can come out now-” Bakugou says before Kirishima is bursting out of the bathroom stall and crowding him against the tiled wall of the bathroom. Are they really going to keep doing this?</p><p>“Shitty Hair, what…?” Bakugou asks, trailing off as Kirishima’s piercing eyes hold his with determination.</p><p>“You have no <i>idea</i> how crazy you drive me, do you?” Kirishima asks, leaning even closer to Bakugo so the man has to tilt his head up to avoid knocking their faces together.</p><p>“I- <i>what</i> are you on about?” Bakugou’s throat is much dryer than he remembers it being before he spoke, and he can feel Kirishima’s eyes watch his Adam’s apple as he swallows thickly.</p><p>“Bakugou, man, shut the fuck up for once and <i>pay attention</i>. God damn, you’re so fucking <i>oblivious</i> sometimes.” And then Kirishima is smashing his lips into Bakugou’s and his entire body is pressed against the blond’s.</p><p>Bakugou is stiff at first, but when Kirishima’s hands place themselves on his waist, fingers gently tugging his shirt from where it’s half tucked into his pants, he finds himself unable to hold back. And all of what Bakugou ignored in that bathroom stall is let loose--every movement, every breath, every shift of their hips on one another. Bakugou completely loses himself in the flaming heat of the kiss that started innocent but <i>quickly</i> becomes more passionate and tongue-heavy.</p><p>And this had all started with Bakugou’s decision to use the bathroom after training.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ahhh, I hope that wasn’t horrible &gt;.&lt;</p><p>Also, what do you think Kirishima did to make Kaminari so angry? What do you think happened after the story cut? Personally, I think they broke apart and confessed their undying love before going to bake cookies (she says as she desperately tried to recover some of the lost innocence), but that’s just my take on it.</p><p>I’m thinking about making a discord server, by the way, and was wondering if any of you were interested? Drop it in the comments if you’d wanna join if I finished figuring things out!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Cafe Doodles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt (that accidentally turned into a coffee shop AU XD): <b>Artiste</b>!</p><p>This chapter contains freaking amazing characters from HxH (and a few cameo characters if you pay attention, though some are super obvious XD)! Please enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Killua isn’t usually one to brag, but he takes pride in his drawing abilities. He knows that he’s good, and he doesn’t exactly hide it. In fact, his favorite pastime is drawing random strangers he sees in cafes all over Yorknew City.</p><p>It started when he found some interesting people at the cafe he stopped by once and decided to pull inspiration from them for something he had been working on. And when he went to a different cafe the next week, he had found even more people he wanted to sketch. And so it became a habit, visiting new cafes and picking a few people to draw. That’s how he ended up drawing the black haired boy behind the counter.</p><p>Killua had done as he usually did on Saturday mornings—the day he dedicated to his new hobby—and entered a brand new cafe that he had learned about the previous week. He walked in with his small backpack and went straight for the counter against the glass windows of the front wall. That way he could see both in and out of the cafe. Plus he also just liked to sit higher up than a regular booth or table.</p><p>After placing his backpack on the counter, he made his way to the counter and scanned over the drink menu as he waited for the two women ordering to finish up. He decided that a vanilla bean frappe would be the perfect drink on this cool morning. After obtaining his drink and returning to his spot, Killua finally takes a good look around the cafe.</p><p>There aren’t many people in the cafe—which is understandable because it’s fairly new and nine in the morning in the middle of fall on a Saturday. Other than the two baristas and Killua himself, there were only five other people. Three in a booth near the back of the cafe and the two women sitting at a table with computers open before them. Taking this chance to also take in the appearance of the cafe, Killua notices a few things.</p><p>First, he notices how bright the cafe is with only two lights on behind the counter. Other than those, all the light is coming in through the floor to ceiling windows along the front and right walls. On the ceiling, two fans spin lazily to help air flow circulate and keep the cafe at a nice temperature. It’s warm from the sun yet cool from the fans, a perfect balance that Killua enjoys very much.</p><p>The left wall of the cafe looks to be a wallpaper with the design of a photo collage, ranging from airplanes and blimps to toy cars and dolls, all of them in black and white. The lower half of the wall is taken over by booths with thick wooden tables and plush cushioned seats, a light grey sectional couch in the back corner. A vase of fresh flowers decorates each booth table, each unique from the others but just as bright and lively as them at the same time.</p><p>The back wall and a bit of the left wall is dedicated to the counter. The actual countertop is made from the same wood the booth tables are made from and has two cash registers before falling away into a large glass display of all the treats and snacks the cafe sells. On the wall behind the counter was a large chalkboard with all the types of drinks and prices for everything the cafe offered, all written in neat handwriting that was nice and easy to read. The counter under that contains the blenders, coffee grinders, and whatever else is needed to make the drinks.</p><p>The cafe then has various tables with mismatched chairs scattered around, all but one unoccupied. Well, they had been when Killua sat down, but now a group of seven teenagers had wandered in and taken up two more tables. That makes fourteen people to choose from, and Killua decided that now was a good time to begin sketching.</p><p>Killua reaches into his backpack and grabs out both his iPad and his sketch pad—you never know if you want to go digital or traditional until you pick a person; sometimes the lines are easier and the colors come in handy, and other times Killua wants to hear the scratching of his pencil and feel the graphite under his fingers as he smudges the drawing in all the right places. This time, Killua chooses his iPad as he glances over to the group of teens.</p><p>Most are male, but one in particular seems more feminine than the others—Killua can’t quite determine their gender and decides to stick to  gender neutral pronouns. Killua decides to draw them instead, subtly studying the rich brown of their eyes and hair along with their delicate nose and jawline. He usually draws busts of people—the face and a bit of the shoulders—but Killua decides to draw a full body portrait this time. And so he sets to work, gliding his Apple Pencil across the screen as he draws the person just as he sees them sitting in the wire chair and holding a coffee cup as they laugh at something one of the men says.</p><p>He draws their large brown-ish sweater and the white collar poking out from the top, their glasses and black pants. He draws their messy brown hair and the way they give one of the twins at the other table a deadpan look after they finish talking. He draws it all, he captures them on his canvas. It takes him about fifteen minutes to finish and then he’s standing and making his way towards them.</p><p>“Excuse me? My name is Killua and I’m an art student at Yorknew University. I thought you seemed interesting and drew you, if you wanted to see it,” Killua says as he stops before the individual and catches their gaze.</p><p>“You drew me?” They echo, looking up at Killua with curious and innocent eyes. Killua nods as one of the men at the table squawks.</p><p>“You drew Haruhi <i>without asking</i>? Isn’t that an invasion of privacy? I demand that picture at once!” The blond man that is sitting to the left of Killua’s brief model says, glaring at Killua with violet eyes.</p><p>“I came over here to show them the picture. I can delete it if it bothers you so much. I just use people I find interesting as practice to help my art improve,” Killua explains, now turning to the man instead.</p><p>“Senpai! Leave him alone, he did nothing wrong!” The person—Haruhi—says before turning their glare from the blond man and letting it soften as it lands on Killua. “I’m sorry about him, he’s very… protective at times. I would love to see your drawing.”</p><p>Killua nods and lifts his iPad from where he had been holding onto it, unlocking it and clicking on the drawing before flipping the screen around to show Haruhi. “I usually just do bust drawings of the shoulders up, but I thought that I could use the pose practice. If you like it, I can have it emailed to you so you can make a copy.”</p><p>“Wow, that’s really good! No wonder you’re an art student, you’re amazing!” Haruhi praises as they look over the canvas and gently take the iPad from Killua. Their eyes glitter with happiness and a smile plays on their lips as they take it all in and Killua likes the bloom of pride that fills his chest.</p><p>“Hey, let us see too! We wanna make sure this guy actually did a good job!” One of the twins says, standing at the same time as the other before they both come to hover behind Haruhi and look at the drawing.</p><p>After a minute, the six men that had accompanied Haruhi are standing behind them and looking at the drawing. Killua has been standing here for nearly five minutes but he honestly doesn’t mind, so long as they like his art. He’d stand here for another hour just to get more positive feedback—it’s the main reason he keeps doing this.</p><p>“Wow, I’d really like you to send that to me. You said you could email it to me?” Haruhi asks, finally handing him his iPad. Killua nods and Haruhi smiles brightly.</p><p>Haruhi writes down an email address on a napkin that was conveniently placed on the table and handed it to Killua. He thanked them and was about to head back to his seat when the blond man grabbed the sleeve of his jacket to stop him.</p><p>“Thank you… for making Haruhi smile. It’s not like she’s sad or anything, but it’s nice. And I’m sorry for freaking out at you,” he mumbles and Killua gives him a small smile in return. Then, the blond man allows him to return back to his seat. Seems Haruhi is female after all.</p><p>The first thing he does when he returns is add Haruhi’s name into the drawing in his best cursive handwriting—sending the picture along just after he’s finished. Then, he takes a long drink of his vanilla bean frappe, scanning the cafe once more. Only one more person has entered, a tall man that seems homeless upon first glance, with his all black outfit—save for the grey scarf—and long, shaggy black hair that helps to hide the obvious eyebags on his face. Killua doesn’t want to draw him. He decides that the next person to walk through the door will be his new subject.</p><p>And sure enough, a couple minutes later, three younger teens walked in. There were two boys, much taller than the girl they came with. The girl had bright orange hair and wide green eyes, the boy on her right has fairly long black hair that falls over his right eye, and the boy on her left has white hair and stands a bit taller than the other boy.</p><p>Watching as they laugh and wander over to the counter, Killua tries to pick which he’ll draw next. Seeing the girl bouncing around and staring with wonder-filled eyes as she presses her hands and face against the glass of the food display, Killua thinks her energy would be fun to capture. The tall white haired boy—much like his own white hair—seems the most mature and intelligent, and Killua thinks that his soft smile as he looks down at the girl would be just as fun. And there’s something about the black haired boy that intrigues him as he watches him tease the girl with a cheeky smirk, but Killua can’t tell just what it is. So he decides to do a bust of all three instead of one full body drawing—that way he can fit everything in while still finishing in a reasonable amount of time.</p><p>They order and Killua watches them make their way over to a table as the girl animatedly talks about something and the white haired boy is left to carry her drink so she can use her hands. He smiles to himself as they sit down and the girl nearly falls for the trick the black haired boy tries to pull—the classic ‘pulling the chair out before you can sit on it’ trick that he’s pulled a few times himself. Killua decides to draw them in the same order they walked in as, with the black haired boy on the right, the orange haired girl in the middle, and the white haired boy on the left. He sets to work, determined.</p><p>~</p><p>Half an hour later, he finished his drawing and gave it to the trio, to which they happily accepted. Killua found out that the black haired boy and himself have nearly the same voice, which was surprising at first—perhaps that’s the reason he was oddly drawn to him. They praised him—the girl especially told him about a thousand times how impressed she was and that she wanted to make it into a poster for her bedroom, which almost got Killua to blush—and also asked him to email the picture to him. He added their names in and sent it their way after managing to pry himself away from the magnetic trio.</p><p>Killua decided to draw one more before he left, seeing as he’d been at the cafe for nearly an hour and was supposed to meet Alluka for lunch at noon. He looked around the cafe that was getting more and more crowded as time passed. In one booth sat four high school boys, one with bright orange hair like the girl had, thought the others were different—one with blond hair and glasses, one with freckles, and one with an angry glare that seemed to fight with the ginger boy at all times. In the booth just behind them was a trio of three men—though one had a feminine face that could’ve fooled Killua if he hadn’t worn a tank top with deep cuts in the sides to show off his toned torso and hadn’t started shouting something at the skittish blond boy he was with as the other boy with a large scar on his forehead broke them apart.</p><p>There was also the three men that came in and sat on the couch in the back, but Killua almost felt threatened when the green eyed blond one passed him by, though the guy with the sunglasses and purple mohawk and the black haired asian seemed far too upbeat to be with someone so menacing. That was before Killua saw the way they teased and joked with him. Still, Killua didn’t really want to test his luck, so he searched for a different subject.</p><p>It struck him, suddenly, as he was scanning the cafe. He could just draw a full body of one of the baristas. They didn’t seem overly busy, and Killua still wanted to draw a full body shot, and the constant movement of the baristas would help bring a variety of poses for him to choose from. He surveyed the two men behind the counter and weighed his options.</p><p>On the one hand, Killua could draw the blond that was at the register and seemed to be thinly concealing his frustration with one girl with pink pigtails and far too much cleavage showing. She seemed to be talking down to the barista as she listed out all the added things she wanted in her drink and Killua got a vague feeling of discomfort as he looked at her—perhaps it was the school uniform or the weird bear clips in her hair, or perhaps even the way her blue eyes looked almost maniacal as the barista tried to say something and she quickly shut him down. But on the other hand, the black haired barista moving quickly behind the counter to quickly make drinks and dish out food was wearing a bright smile and seemed genuinely happy to be working. Killua decided to draw him instead.</p><p>The black haired man passed out drinks and handed a small paper bag of something to a couple before turning and moving onto the next order. Killua decided to capture his smile in the moment he handed over the items, his bright green eyes crinkling at the corners from his wide smile. Yeah, Killua was fond of him. He wasn’t sure why though, just another gut feeling. This cafe seems to give him a lot of those, perhaps he’ll have to come back again sometime.</p><p>Killua focuses intently for the next twenty minutes, trying to make the drawing look perfect. With the emerald green eyes and black apron over the top of a white tank top and green shorts. He went over every single detail to ensure perfection to the highest degree before standing and walking over to the counter where the barista was standing off to the side, waiting for some red haired boy and his long blue haired friend to finish their order.</p><p>“Excuse me?” Killua starts, gaining the attention of the barista who nearly blinds him with a smile. “I was wondering if you had a moment?</p><p>“Of course! Is there something you need? Napkins, a new straw? Paper towels in the bathroom, maybe?” The man asks, looking at him happily.</p><p>“No, not exactly. I’m actually an art student at Yorknew University and I came here to find people to draw as practice—though the vanilla bean frappe was also very good. But anyways, my point is that I drew you and I was wondering if you wanted to see it?” Killua wasn’t sure why he was rambling so much, he usually got his point across quickly and formerly, but he couldn’t help but get a bit nervous around the barista. Yet another thing to think about after this cafe trip was over.</p><p>“Yeah, of course! As long as it doesn’t take too long, I gotta get back to work or Kurapika will kick my butt!” He jokes, laughing slightly and Killua wonders if his heart was beating this fast earlier.</p><p>“It shouldn’t but it all depends on your reaction.” With that, Killua hands over his iPad and watches as the man’s eyes go from happy and curious to wide and amazed. And once again, that familiar warm pride swells in his chest and makes him feel lighter.</p><p>“Oh my gosh, this is so amazing! How did you do that? It looks just like me!” The man gushes, and a smile spreads across Killua’s face without permission. If Killua was any lighter, he’d be floating.</p><p>“I mean, I just kind of used the drawing tools on my app and then used you as a reference. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but I won’t bore you with the details.” The barista—Gon, reads his nametag—only beams brighter.</p><p>“Thank you! After I finish these drinks, I need you to send that to me! I’ll give you my number!” And Gon is hurrying to the other side of the counter where two cups are resting. Killua doesn’t correct him, not with Gon no longer in front of him. But there’s something else that tells Killua that he shouldn’t say anything about it.

Yeah, Killua thinks he’ll come back here sometime soon.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So... did you figure out who all the cameo characters were? Big hint: there are <i>eight</i> referenced groups/animes, with <i>24</i> total characters. Drop in the comments who you think you saw!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chargebolt’s Channel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt is <b>Party Game of Choice</b> which obviously means Truth or Dare XD</p><p>This chapter is the longest yet (8.3k words my dude) and is actually a recycled version of part of my first draft for ‘Father’s Orders’ that I cut out. I revamped it and tried to make it make sense for people who haven’t read that story, but I’m not sure if it worked XD</p><p>A TW for this chapter: mentions of anxiety and anxiety attacks. If you don’t vibe with that, feel free to skip this chapter completely. Don’t want anyone getting triggered :p</p><p>This chapter contains characters from BNHA (and my OC Chīsai once again XD)!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a long day.</p><p>After running around trying to find Bakugou after returning from dinner where he wasn’t invited and finding the common room in shambles—and by that I mean couches were knocked over and all the cabinets in the kitchen were thrown open as if in a rush—and then nearly having an <i>anxiety attack</i> on the floor of the hallway because <i>oh my god, it’s all my fault he went ballistic and we can’t find him</i>, class 1-A needed something to take our minds off the chaos. And when <i>Bakugou</i> of all people suggested we go down to the common room for a game, there weren’t any complaints.</p><p>I, of course, had to be the very last one down to the common room because I was still trying to recover. So when I arrive and everyone is already waiting to play, I have to squeeze into the tiny space on the couch between Todoroki and Ochako. Everyone else seems comfortable though, so I guess that’s a plus.</p><p>Bakugou is stretched out along the entirety of the middle couch, his head snuggled into Kirishima’s lap with the boy running his fingers through his hair. Kaminari is in the middle of the couch and holding up the middle of Bakugou’s legs, Mina at the end is turned to face the others and with Bakugou’s feet in her lap. Her left leg is stretched out onto Kaminari’s lap and Sero is sitting to the right of Kaminari’s feet on the floor.</p><p>The left couch contains Tokoyami, Satou, Ojiro, and Shoji, all sitting up like normal people would. And finally, the right couch seats Todoroki against one end of the couch with myself next to him, legs crossed like I’m back in kindergarten—criss-cross-applesauce. Ochako is next to me, her legs tangled in Tsuyu’s beside her. Midoriya is at the other end, curled up against the other arm of the couch. Iida has brought over a chair from the table to sit upon.</p><p>Momo and Jirou are sitting on the floor by Iida, snuggling and with a blanket draped over their shoulders. Shinsou is sitting just beneath me, hair tickling my bare legs and Aoyama is sitting by Shoji’s feet and holding a pillow tightly to his chest.</p><p>“So, uh… what game are we gonna play then?” I ask, looking to where Bakugou is, even though I can’t actually see his face from where it’s buried in Kirishima’s torso.</p><p>“You’re finally here, Hair Dye? We’re going to play Truth or Dare—and no, Glasses, you can’t change it. You can leave if you don’t want to play,” Bakugou announces, turning his head so he’s looking straight up into Kirishima’s jaw—or the ceiling, that could totally be it.</p><p>Iida sighs before answering. “Very well, I feel as though I am obligated to allow you this after what we all just… experienced. I trust that Momo will uphold her duties as second-in-command. I will be up in my room if anyone needs me.”</p><p>With that said, the man stands, silence following behind him. After a minute of this, Aoyama, Shoji, Satou, Ojirou, and Tokoyami also stand and exit the room, leaving the left couch empty—Momo, Jirou, and Sero to claim it for themselves. Shinsou remains at my feet, and I offer him a head pat.</p><p>“Anyone else?” Bakugou asks the silent room, and gets only more silence. “Fine. Jirou, truth or dare?”</p><p>She looks surprised that Bakugou picked her first, but ultimately makes her decision quickly. “Dare.”</p><p>“Alright then,” Bakugou scoffs and sends her a downright <i>devious</i> smirk, “sing for us.”</p><p>“Name your song,” Jirou declares, standing from the couch.</p><p>“WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.” Jirou doesn’t blink at the request.</p><p>“Kaminari, music.” Jirou snaps her fingers and Kaminari digs for his phone, searching up the music used in the song. I don’t think I know that song; this should be interesting.</p><p>When the music starts up, Jirou wastes no time in perfectly reciting the lyrics without fail. My jaw nearly drops to the floor after the first word—what the hell <i>is this</i>?</p><p>“Whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house (Hol' up)<br/>
I said certified freak, seven days a week<br/>
Wet-ass pussy, make that pullout game weak, woo (Ah)</p><p>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah<br/>
Yeah, you fuckin' with some wet-ass pussy<br/>
Bring a bucket and a mop for this wet-ass pussy<br/>
Give me everything you got for this wet-ass pussy</p><p>Beat it up, bitch, catch a charge<br/>
Extra large and extra hard<br/>
Put this pussy right in your face<br/>
Swipe your nose like a credit card<br/>
Hop on top, I wanna ride<br/>
I do a kegel while it's inside<br/>
Spit in my mouth, look in my eyes<br/>
This pussy is wet, come take a dive<br/>
Tie me up like I'm surprised<br/>
Let's roleplay, I'll wear a disguise<br/>
I want you to park that big Mack truck right in this little garage<br/>
Make it cream, make me scream<br/>
Out in public, make a scene<br/>
I don't cook, I don't clean<br/>
But let me tell you how I got this ring (Ayy, ayy)</p><p>Gobble me, swallow me, drip down the side of me (Yeah)<br/>
Quick, jump out 'fore you let it get inside of me (Yeah)<br/>
I tell him where to put it, never tell him where I'm 'bout to be (Huh)<br/>
I'll run down on him 'fore I have a bitch runnin' me (Pow, pow, pow)<br/>
Talk your shit, bite your lip (Yeah)<br/>
Ask for a car while you ride that dick (While you ride that dick)<br/>
You really ain't never gotta fuck him for a thang (Yeah)<br/>
He already made his mind up 'fore he came (Ayy, ah)<br/>
Now get your boots and your coat for this wet-ass pussy (Ah, ah, ah)<br/>
He bought a phone just for pictures of this wet-ass pussy (Click, click, click)<br/>
Paid my tuition just to kiss me on this wet-ass pussy (Mwah, mwah, mwah)<br/>
Now make it rain if you wanna see some wet-ass pussy (Yeah, yeah)</p><p>Look, I need a hard hitter, need a deep stroker<br/>
Need a Henny drinker, need a weed smoker<br/>
Not a garter snake, I need a king cobra<br/>
With a hook in it, hope it lean over<br/>
He got some money, then that's where I'm headed<br/>
Pussy A1 just like his credit<br/>
He got a beard, well, I'm tryna wet it<br/>
I let him taste it, now he diabetic<br/>
I don't wanna spit, I wanna gulp<br/>
I wanna gag, I wanna choke<br/>
I want you to touch that lil' dangly thing that swing in the back of my throat<br/>
My head game is fire, punani Dasani<br/>
It's goin' in dry and it's comin' out soggy<br/>
I ride on that thing like the cops is behind me (Yeah, ah)<br/>
I spit on his mic and now he tryna sign me, woo</p><p>Your honor, I'm a freak bitch, handcuffs, leashes<br/>
Switch my wig, make him feel like he cheatin'<br/>
Put him on his knees, give him somethin' to believe in<br/>
Never lost a fight, but I'm lookin' for a beatin' (Ah)<br/>
In the food chain, I'm the one that eat ya<br/>
If he ate my ass, he's a bottom-feeder<br/>
Big D stand for big demeanor<br/>
I could make ya bust before I ever meet ya<br/>
If it don't hang, then he can't bang<br/>
You can't hurt my feelings, but I like pain<br/>
If he fuck me and ask ‘Whose is it?’<br/>
When I ride the dick, I'ma spell my name, ah</p><p>Yeah, yeah, yeah<br/>
Yeah, you fuckin' with some wet-ass pussy<br/>
Bring a bucket and a mop for this wet-ass pussy<br/>
Give me everything you got for this wet-ass pussy<br/>
Now from the top, make it drop, that's some wet-ass pussy<br/>
Now get a bucket and a mop, that's some wet-ass pussy<br/>
I'm talkin' wap, wap, wap, that's some wet-ass pussy<br/>
Macaroni in a pot, that's some wet-ass pussy, huh</p><p>There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house<br/>
There's some whores in this house”</p><p>The music ends and a small round of applause rings out, my own hands clapping together. I’m applauding Jirou's talent and shameless attitude, but if I <i>never</i> hear that song again, I won’t complain—it’s not exactly the type of music I tend to listen to.</p><p>Jirou gives Kaminari a pointed look when he lets out a loud whoop, but dips into a bow anyways. She then sits back down and Momo helps her snuggle back into their blanket. They look happy.</p><p>“Alright, who’s next?” Ochako asks, looking around the room.</p><p>“Tsuyu, truth or dare?” Jirou asks the frog girl.</p><p>“Truth, please.”</p><p>“When did you know you liked Ochako as more than a friend?”</p><p>“During first year at the training camp, we met Toga and Ochako was able to disarm her knife and pin Toga down in a moment, kero. She was so quick about it and saved us, even if Toga got away in the end. That was when I knew I was in love with her.”</p><p>“Ugh, don’t remind me of that camp. I was in the hospital with Jirou while you all got to go have loads of fun,” I comment, looking at Kirishima, Bakugou, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Momo.</p><p>“I’m not sure how much fun I had,” Todoroki deadpans, looking down at me.</p><p>I hit his arm softly. “You know what I mean.”</p><p>“Hair Dye, don’t get off topic. I don’t want to hear your whining,” Bakugou intervenes, getting an eye roll from both Todoroki and I.</p><p>“Hmm… Momo, truth or dare?” Tsuyu asks, looking towards the girl.</p><p>“Dare.”</p><p>“Do the makeup of any two boys here.” Momo looks to the side where Sero sits before looking at Bakugou’s couch.</p><p>“I’ll do Kaminari and… Kirishima’s makeup. I’ll be right back, I’m going to go get my makeup.” Momo stands and disappears into the elevator.</p><p>We wait for the woman to come back, talking about a few odd topics until her return. When Momo steps back into the common room, her arms are nearly overflowing with boxes and bags alike filled with various makeup items. She sets them down in front of the couch and smiles warmly at the boys.</p><p>“Don’t think either of them are getting up,” Bakugou grumbles, narrowing his eyes at her. Momo chuckles lightly at him.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle. I only plan on enhancing the beauty these two already possess,” she replies, leaning in close to Kaminari with a large round brush in hand.</p><p>Kaminari shares a worried look with Kirishima before allowing her to tilt his head the way she pleases. She turns his face this way and that way, taking in all angles and features before selecting a powder and setting to work.</p><p>A few minutes pass and she finishes Kaminari’s makeup, smiling at the man before moving onto Kirishima and repeating the process once more. Bakugou seems to snuggle in closer to Kirishima by the time Momo finishes, a delight aura coming from the girl as she beams at the men, admiring her work.</p><p>“There, all done! Would you like to see yourselves?” She asks, setting her supplies back into their containers.</p><p>“Yeah… so long as I don’t look horrible,” Kaminari says, rubbing the back of his head nervously.</p><p>“You couldn’t look horrible if you tried,” Shinsou mutters to himself, only loud enough for those closest to him to hear—myself included.</p><p>“Shinsou, what was that? Could you say that a bit louder, I couldn’t quite hear you,” I tease with a smirk, nudging his shoulder with my knee.</p><p>“Just get him a mirror,” Shinsou growls at me, reaching back to hit my leg.</p><p>Momo pulls a handheld mirror from one of her boxes and hands it off to Kaminari, watching his eyes widen and his free hand coming up to lightly touch his face in awe.</p><p>“Wow… I didn’t know how much of an effect makeup can have… I look a hundred times better than normal. Thanks, Momo,” he muses, handing off the mirror.</p><p>Kirishima has a similar reaction and he delicately runs the pads of his fingers along his jaw where Momo had applied sparse contour, making the already sharp lines even more deadly.</p><p>“Bakugou,” Momo starts cheekily, raising an eyebrow at the mass in Kirishima’s lap, “would you like to see the new and improved Kirishima?”</p><p>“Like you could improve him, he’s already perfect,” he mutters, his voice slightly muffled by Kirishima’s shirt.</p><p>“That’s probably the nicest thing I’ve ever heard Bakugou say, you must be really special if you receive a compliment like <i>that</i>,” Shinsou comments, a look of amused impression on his face. I smirk at the growing blush on Kirishima, shining through the minimal powder Momo applied to his skin.</p><p>Bakugou comes out of hibernation to slowly blink up at Kirishima, the other man smiling softly down at him. Bakugou flushes and he immediately buries his head again to keep it from showing, though everyone already saw it.</p><p>“He looks fine. There’s hardly a difference,” Bakugou grumbles, red staining his neck, ears, and the sliver of his face we can still see. I’d say that’s a lie, but what do I know?</p><p>“I think that’s as close to a compliment as I’m going to get, but I’ll take it,” Momo says with a sigh. She stands and returns to her spot next to Jirou, placing her makeup supplies off to the side.</p><p>“Kirishima, truth or dare?” Momo asks and the man looks surprised when she asks, but grins in the bright way he always does.</p><p>“Dare, obviously.” His sharp teeth shine through his smile and I can’t help but smile as well. His happiness is always contagious, one of the many qualities I admire about the red haired man.</p><p>“Somehow I knew you’d choose that. I dare you to lick Bakugou anywhere on his body without retaliation. Anywhere that isn’t overly inappropriate at least.” Kirishima’s eyes widen and Bakugou whips his head towards the girl at once. Embarrassed flush turns into an angry one and I’ll bet Momo is glad she’s no longer standing in front of him.</p><p>“What the <i>fuck</i>, Ponytail!” Bakugou roars, fury blazing in his red eyes. Kirishima just chuckles above him.</p><p>“Anywhere? Without any retaliation from Katsuki?” He asks, looking between the woman and man. Momo nods curtly.</p><p>“So long as you’re comfortable showing us the location—I don’t really want to be seeing anything-”</p><p>“Right! Okay, got it!” Kirishima calls, interrupting the girl.</p><p>He gazes down at the man in his lap and Bakugou shifts almost uncomfortably under his stare. I can feel the eagerness bubble up inside of me—there’s just something about romance that makes me go all <i>gushy</i> and <i>giddy</i> for some odd reason. Perhaps it’s the attention it gives me, I’ll have to ask my therapist next time we meet.</p><p>Kirishima pulls Bakugou up by a hand in his hair and leans down to meet him in the middle for a few quick kisses. Those kisses begin trailing along his jaw and down his neck, and Kirishima’s tongue runs along the length of Bakugou’s neck, making sure to hit his Adam’s apple along the way. If Bakugou could light himself on fire, the entire dorm would’ve been burnt to the ground by now.</p><p>“Woah, hang on! We’re still minors here! Don’t go all out!” I cackle after they break apart, some of Bakugou’s blush transferring to Kirishima as they resume their former positions on the couch.</p><p>“Chīsai’s right,” Ochako comments, “I definitely <i>wasn’t</i> expecting <i>that</i>.”</p><p>“Whatever, just take your stupid turn! Damn nerds!” Bakugou shouts angrily and I laugh a bit more at the outburst.</p><p>“Jeez, Katsuki, calm down man! It’s alright, bro!” Kirishima says with his own small chuckle.</p><p>“You <i>are not</i> allowed to call me <i>’man’</i> or <i>’bro’</i> after <i>running your tongue</i> down my fucking <i>neck<i>!”</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Fine, fine—whatever you say! Kaminari, truth or dare? Or rather nice dare, or bad dare?” Kirishima jokes, nudging the blond next to him with his elbow.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Actually, I’d like to switch it up. Everyone’s been choosing dare so far, and it’s getting a bit old. I pick truth this time,” he says, surprising nearly everyone in the room.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Dang, got someone to impress?” I half mumble, not truly trying to be quiet about it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kaminari squawks in protest, “N-no! I just wanted to try something new! And you’re not even the one asking, so you don’t get to say anything!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“But I am! Kaminari, who here would you want to fuck? Or get fucked <i>by</i>?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Midoriya chokes on air and Tsuyu has to pat his back as everyone’s eyes widen a bit. Well, I hadn’t been expecting <i>that</i> from Kirishima. I had just been teasing, but he made it a reality.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“<i>What?</i> Kirishima! What the actual <i>hell</i>, dude!” Kaminari shouts, whipping towards his best friend at break-neck speeds.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“It’s your fault for picking truth—now you have to answer honestly.” Kirishima’s sly smirk is hardly hidden, his tone teasing and devious at the same time. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“W-well…” he pauses, looking over the people present, “I would go with… nobody. There’s nobody here that would want to, and I could never do something like that without direct consent. That’s something only people like Mineta would do.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Kaminari, there’s one person here that would <i>gladly</i> rail you, trust me. Just say their name and get it over with.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kaminari mumbles out a name too quickly and quietly for me to hear, but I don’t push it. I’ve already pushed him enough—for now at least, there’s no telling what the next hour could hold. Mina cackles loudly beside him and Kirishima just smirks bigger, Kaminari blushing almost as hard as Bakugou had.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Bakugou, truth or dare?” Kaminari says a few moments later when he’s gotten his blush under control.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Dare, Dunce Face. What else would it be?” The man grumbles in response, peering up at him.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I dare you to do anything you want to Chīsai, no matter what it is. And she can’t say no or stop you.” I stop breathing, all oxygen traveling into my body and brain is cut off as soon as the words leave his tongue. I can feel eyes on me from all directions, but I can’t register anything going on around me. There’s no way he really said that, is there?</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i><i>Anything, huh?</i> That little voice in my head asks, <i>I wonder what all that includes. Does he truly mean </i>anything<i> or is there a line somewhere? I wonder if Bakugou will try to cross it, after you caused that panic earlier by not inviting him to dinner. Can you imagine all the things he could do to get back at you?</i></i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“A-anything?” My voice comes out as a squeak and sounds panicked to my own ears.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Okay, not <i>anything</i> anything, because we can’t have any murder or whatever. But otherwise almost everything is on the table,” Kaminari explains, sounding calm and not at all aware of the inner turmoil going on within me.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i><i>So there</i> are <i>lines, but very, very extreme ones. A lot can still fit between here and there. I’m curious to see what Bakugou will say next. What he’ll have you do—since you’re completely at his mercy now.</i></i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What would I have to do to her? There’s not much I can do.” My saving grace, angel from above, lucky wishing stars above. It’s like a breath of fresh air and a needle against the ballon inside me, Bakugou is coming to my-</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Except fix her face.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>-rescue. Guess I spoke too soon again, I really need to work on that.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>Hmm, fix your face? What’s that supposed to mean? He thinks you’re ugly? There’s worse things to be called, but that doesn’t exactly help your confidence—does it, Chīsai? No, I don’t that it does.</i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Then start with that. I’m sure Chīsai is happy to agree.” Kaminari’s expression sends a shiver down my spine and keeps the block on my airways fully operational. This is my punishment for teasing him, and I can’t do anything about it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Come on Hair Dye, we’re going up to your room.” Bakugou peels himself away from his friends and doesn’t wait for me as he heads towards the elevator and stairwell.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>I meet the concerned eyes of Ochako and Todoroki, but Midoriya won’t even look at me. He clearly knows what this entails, unwilling to share the information. I quickly skamper after the explosive man, staying three steps behind him as we enter the stairwell.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m not going to attack you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Bakugou says, breaking the silence in the stairwell.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>That’s part of it, sure, but there’s a lot more going on in my head than just that. I’m not exactly going to test you right now.</i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I know… You’re just a bit intimidating at times. Resting bitch faces and all that,” I reply, fiddling with the fingers on my left hands.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yours isn’t much better, you know,” he grumbles, the scowl clear in his tone.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yeah, I noticed. You said you were going to ‘fix my face’ anyways, so I kind of expected you to think I was ugly or something. I wish you luck though, I’ve tried my hand at makeup before and it doesn’t really go as I planned.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He grunts and opens the door to my floor and I quickly follow behind him. We arrive outside my dorm and I quickly swipe my ID badge across the sensor before opening the door and holding it open for the man. He makes his way to the closet and I take a seat on my bed to wait for him to pick something out. He surprises me when he stops and turns towards me instead.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“You were the one that suggested everyone go out to dinner earlier, right?” His voice is calm and even, unlike his usual growl. It only serves to worry me more.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>Shit, here it comes. He’s going to blow up at you, it’s just the calm before the storm.</i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I, uh, yeah—you could say that,” I reply. He resumes going through my closet as my eyes fall to my lap.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“And you saw how I searched for any type of note as to where everyone had disappeared to?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yeah… It was all my fault—it was all my idea entirely.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“So my question is why you freaked out when you all got back if it was all your idea. It really shouldn’t have bothered you as much as it did—Sero and Kaminari told me that you were hyperventilating and shaking when you couldn’t find me right away. And then after we came down from my room after I called a game night, you weren’t down there with everyone else.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I… really didn’t mean to. I just… got caught in my head for a second and I thought something bad had happened. Like summer camp.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“You’ve been acting weird lately, though. It’s not just this, there’s been other times that you haven’t acted like you normally do. Does this fit you?” He asks, switching the topic and holding up a long burgundy dress.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“The zipper doesn’t work very well and it’s shorter than it’s supposed to be—falling mid calf instead of at my ankles. But weird how?” He puts the dress back and continues digging through my closet.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Ever since that day in the cafe with IcyHot, you’ve been the most messed up I’ve ever seen you. You’ve been putting yourself down more and your mood swings are heavier than they used to be. There’s also all the ‘getting lost in thought’ thing that’s happening all the time now, too. What’s your deal?” I’m not sure how to answer that question.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I don’t know, I didn’t really notice anything.” It’s a lie and Bakugou sees right through it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“You have a shitty way of lying—you should work on that too. You almost remind me of Deku or Eijirou. More extreme, though.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What’s that supposed to mean?” I’m lost again. I wonder how many times that’s going to happen in this one conversation.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Deku thinks a lot, anyone can see that. It never developed into anything really bad—Auntie Inko was always really caring and kind, which helped with that a lot. Eijirou is a bit different. Did you know he used to be bullied in school?” I look up and Bakugou has taken a pair of pants and a shirt out but decides to put the pants back.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“No… Is there a reason you’re being all cryptic and honest?” This is really starting to confuse me, Bakugou is usually <i>never</i> this calm when I’m around. Thankfully, my comment seems to get him back to his regular, yelling self.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m always honest, and I’m not being cryptic! Would you just shut up and listen?” He barks, sending a burning glare over his shoulder. I shrink in on myself.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Sorry, sorry. Please, continue. I didn’t know Kirishima was bullied.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Tch, whatever. He was bullied by his classmates and felt like he was inferior to those around him. He almost gave up on being a hero. He had to dig himself back up before coming to UA.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wow, good for him. That’s really impressive.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yeah, it is. Now, go get in the shower and wash your hair and body. Do it quickly,” Bakugou demands, pointing towards my bathroom. I nod—even though he can’t see me when he’s faced the closet—and move to do as he asked.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>~</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>I expected to take a quick shower, but after Bakugou’s fifth trip into the bathroom to yell at me over the sound of the shower and bring a rush of cold air in with him, it’s proving to be a longer process than intended.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Make sure to wash your hair with the flowery shit—the one that smells like rain and lilac bushes. Do you have any body lotion?” The man calls, walking in once more and I shiver behind the shower curtain.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yeah, but it’s only coconut oil. It doesn’t smell much, if you were hoping to blend the scents together—even though that would probably be overwhelming and make me smell bad,” I call back, washing the conditioner out of my hair.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Are you going to question me, or are you going to do as I say?” He shouts, earning an eye roll and exasperated sigh.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m going to do what you say,” I deadpan, pausing to flip him off where he can’t see.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Heh, that’s what I thought, Hair Dye. Now hurry up and get out, we’ve been here for thirty minutes and twenty of them were spent with you showering.” With that, he leaves again.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“And who’s fault is that, huh? Who keeps barging in and demanding things? Not me, that’s for sure,” I mumble to myself, finishing washing everything out of my hair and rinsing myself off once more before shutting off the water.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>I slip out and quickly use the towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door to dry off. I run the towel over my damp skin and soak up all the access water I can. I grab my undergarments and bathrobe, slipping them on before twisting my hair up in the towel and exiting the bathroom to where Bakugou is waiting.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He’s found my standing ring light that I keep in my closet for pictures and placed it at the foot of my bed. He’s also brought out and plugged in my straightening iron and blow dryer. He’s gotten out much of my makeup and my coconut oil, setting them all on top of my desk. The mirror built into my desk was turned on so the lights built in shine where the ceiling lights once did—the only original lighting that was on when we arrived being the fairy lights twisted in the canopy above my bed.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What’s all this?” I ask, moving to my desk chair and sitting down on the soft cushions.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m going to make you look the best you’ve ever been. Trust me, you’ll want pictures,” he remarks, scoffing at my surprised reaction.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Fine, I trust you. Let’s get started so we don’t take an hour—I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone down in the common room started watching a movie to pass the time we’ve taken.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“They haven’t, I made sure. They’re making a YouTube video for Kaminari’s channel, a special episode he’s going to tag us all in or something. I called Eijirou while you were in the shower and he said that’s what they decided to do. It’ll take them a while to set everything up and then film the perfect opening or whatever—that’s what Kaminari shouted before I hung up.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well, let’s do this. I still don’t want to make them wait too much longer.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Sit down and leave it all to me.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>~</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>It took another twenty minutes to perfect my hair and wait for me to apply my coconut oil, ordering me to sit still through the entire process. My hair was blown dry, Bakugou brushing through it as the hot air made it all messy. He then used the straightening iron to flatten my hair again, twisting the iron slightly at the end for a slight curl. He then delicately clipped my bangs out of my face in order to start on my makeup.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>For makeup, he started off with the basics, applying moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer, and setting powder before setting to work on the contour and bronzer. He sharpens my jaw and applies product to my nose and forehead—something I have never personally tried before. After contouring and bronzer were done, he moved onto blush and highlight, using the soft brushes to dust it over my cheeks and a touch on my nose. He also swipes a glossy pink lipstick to finish. It’s natural and simple looking, but fits my face perfectly.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He saved my eyeshadow for last, leaving what I think is the most difficult and time consuming part of makeup for the end. He picked up my favorite pallet and opened it, scanning through the thirty colors before closing and setting it off to the side. He looks through three more before deciding on one with a winter color scheme, the evidence in icy whites and pale blues. Then, he reaches for one of my eyeshadow brushes and dips it in the light sky blue, raising the brush up to my face and I close my eyes.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Soft strokes painted the color onto my eyelids, skilled hands worked the brush and blended each stroke into the next seamlessly and created what I can only assume is a masterpiece. He spent only about a minute on each eye before pulling back and digging for something off to the side and opening it. As soon as it comes in contact with the outer corner of my eye, I know exactly what it is—eyeliner.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He draws two wings on and extends the liner into my inner corners, connecting everything in perfect harmony. Mascara is next, adding volume and a rich black to my lashes to show off their natural length. I then felt him press his fingers into the inner corners of my eye and know he placed a light shine there, smiling at the knowledge quietly. He sprays a setting spray over my face to complete the look and lock everything in until I take it off for bed.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“There, you’re done. Take a look at yourself,” Bakugou finally says, backing off and starting to clean up all of the items he used.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He’s created a sort of smokey eye with blue on my eyelids, starting from pale in the inner corners and moving to that sky blue on the outsides. The blue meets the slick line of black eyeliner before extending slightly under my eye, framing my eye and offsetting the navy blue of my irises. The shine in the corner of my eye glistens like the sun on snow and wraps the entire look up with it. It’s perfect, and the man knows it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Bakugou… this is so amazing. Where did you learn how to do makeup like this?” I breathe out, wonder and curiosity coloring my voice. I raise a hand to hover over my face, scared of touching the beauty Bakugou has brought to life.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“My mom used to let me practice on her when she wanted to try out new looks for her outings. I got better and ended up starting to do my own makeup whenever I was bored or wanted to make sure something looked decent on her—I’ve been told a thousand times that my mother and I are nearly identical,” he explains, leaning back onto my bed where he’s sat down.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wow… so you’ve had a few years of training then. Have you ever thought about starting a beauty channel or makeup account on social media?” I ask, tilting my head to the left.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I don’t need a makeup channel—I’m trying to be a Pro Hero,” Bakugou scoffs in return.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Who says Pro Hero’s can’t? I never thought you would turn something like this down—the chance for recognition and a chance to help female fans across the world. It might not help with fighting villains in battle, but it could help teach girls and guys alike how to build up their confidence. You could teach people how to create a wing so sharp it could kill a man. Give them the confidence to fight their own villains and slaughter anyone that stands in their way. Besides, a female fanbase can be pretty powerful in the long run.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“You seem pretty adamant about this. I’m not trying to end up like Dunce Face downstairs. Speaking of which, you should get dressed so we can head back down there.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“On it. Are those my clothes behind you?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yes. Now hurry up, I want to get a few good pictures in before those Extras in the common room start blowing up my phone.” I send him a salute and gather the clothes up in my arms, heading into my bathroom to change.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The man had picked out a simple outfit, an air of childlike innocence and softness to it. A denim overall dress with a circle skirt bottom for the perfect spins. There’s white daisies painted on the denim fabric, their colors adding to the aura and adding a focal point. A white blouse that comes down just far enough to cover my ribcage and with long sleeves that morph into a flounce sleeve just below the elbow is nearly see through as I hold it up, noticing a white bra lying in the pile as a precaution. That man really thinks of everything, doesn’t he?</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>After putting all that on, I pick up the fishnet stockings and slip them on carefully, then sliding the black shorts on under my dress to hide my underwear and to help keep the fishnets in place. With those on, my outfit is complete. I take the clips out of my hair and smile at my reflection in the mirror—she looks happy as she smiles back at me, a warm glow radiating off of her. I turn and exit the bathroom, rejoining Bakugou.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“You know… makeup isn’t the only thing you’re good at. What about cooking? You could totally make a cooking channel.” The slightest hint of a smile plays on Bakugou’s lips before it disappears a second later.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>~</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>We called Kirishima about our progress—it’s been nearly an hour since we left and Kaminari is due to be done with his video set up and wondering where we are. Kirishima reassured them that Kaminari and Mina were trying to decide on the perfect opening for the video. In the background of the call, you could hear the two arguing about something, but we paid no mind to it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Bakugou then had Kirishima hand the phone off to Jirou and asked her to bring the rest of the girls—save for Mina, obviously—up to my room to help with pictures. A few minutes later, there’s a knock on my dorm door and I open it to allow them to enter.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Coos and gasps rumble through the four girls as soon as they see me, Momo and Ochako clasping their hands together and bouncing over to me. Bakugou yells at them before just before they can engulf me in a hug or touch me in any way to somehow ‘ruin the masterpiece I created, <i>Ochako</i>.’</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Lay on the bed and fan your hair out around you. Don’t touch it too much or it’ll ruin it,” Bakugou demands, grabbing my phone and ordering Momo and Tsuyu to aid me. “And <i>don’t</i> forget your shoes!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Bakugou, you really outdid yourself. You should show off your skills with the internet sometime,” Jirou comments offhandedly.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>I whip around at break-neck speeds just in time to catch Bakugou’s eye roll. “That’s exactly what I said! I told him about all the people he could rope in before we graduate if he showed off his makeup, cooking, and combat skills! Can you imagine it? He could be getting paid for this stuff!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Just do as I say and we can go back to the game. I don’t want to be in this room for much longer, Hair Dye.” A hint of a smile appears again, but it’s gone just as fast. I think Bakugou likes me a touch more than he lets on—and I’ll take whatever I can get.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>~</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Finally! I thought you guys were never coming back! Where’s-” Kaminari whines when we come back down after another half hour of pictures. In total it’s been about an hour and a half—who would’ve guessed that a single dare could take that long?</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He freezes halfway through his sentence when his eyes meet mine as the others had done not much longer ago. Eyes run over my body and take in the sight, making me slightly self-conscious in the process. Mina is the first to move, launching herself at me and just barely being intercepted by Tsuyu’s tongue and Bakugou’s fiery glare.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Chīsai! You look so amazing! Just like the beautiful goddess you are!” She coos, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward towards me. I offer a smile and slight chuckle at her praise.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Thanks, but it’s all Bakugou’s doing. I’d tell him—there’s no way I could ever do this myself,” I reply, nodding my head towards the smirking blond.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Don’t sell yourself short—you’re good too!” Kirishima encourages, coming to steal the blond away.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Aw, thanks Kiri, you’re too sweet. Anyways, are we ready to continue? I think it’s Bakugou’s turn, if I remember correctly,” I say, moving to sit back in my original spot next to Todoroki and above Shinsou.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“They’re not lying… you do look extremely beautiful. More so than usual, which is a feat in and of itself,” Todoroki quietly says when I sit next to him, his hands coming to help me fix the skirt on my dress.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Thanks, Todoroki, it means a lot.” I beam up at him and slip our hands together, entwining our fingers. The others file back into their original spots as well.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The only difference in the room is the tripod with Kaminari’s phone replacing the table in the middle of the room. The couches are also pushed closer together and angled so they all fit in frame. I smile at the camera as Kaminari wanders over to it and hovers his finger over the record button.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Is everyone ready? I already introduced everyone—other than Chīsai and Bakugou because you guys weren’t here—and told them about the dares we already did. I’m also going to link everyone’s social media in the description for them, by the way,” Kaminari explains, looking between Bakugou and I. We nod and he hits play.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Alright everyone, we’re back! And finally back from his dare, Bakugou has brought a brand new Chīsai for us! Would you mind giving everyone a little spin?” Mina asks, gesturing towards the camera.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Uh, sure. Give me a second.” I get up and walk to the middle of the room, strutting up to the camera and giving a little spin of everything. I send a wink at the camera before laughing and going to sit back down.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m sure there will be a ton of pictures on her social media if you wanted to check them out! Her link will be in the description, so don’t forget to check that out!” Kaminari adds, smiling sweetly at the camera as he sits down in his own spot.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“It’ll also be on my new makeup and fashion account,” Bakugou grumbles, causing a series of surprised glances to be cast his way; I simply smirk knowingly.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Anyways, that wraps up that dare! It’s now Bakugou’s turn to ask!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Shinsou, truth or dare?” Shinsou looks his way, a bored expression perfectly in place.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Dare.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“How typical. I dare you to use your Quirk on anyone here and make them do something stupid.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Mmm, who should I pick?” I wait for the moment of truth, watching to see who falls for his simple trick.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Didn’t you hear me? I just said anyo-” Bakugou cuts himself off, his eyes going glassy and body going slack.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I know. Something stupid, right? Kaminari, why don’t you choose what our dear Bakugou does? And be careful, he can still hear you.” Kaminari gets a devilish gleam in his eye and stands up to whisper in Shinsou’s ear.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Are you sure? He might kill you later,” Shinsou advises after Kaminari pulls away.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m willing to go down for this,” Kaminari replies, winking before sitting back down.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“If you’re sure. Bakugou… go to the kitchen and break two eggs over your head.” I nearly choke on my breath and watch as Bakugou immediately gets up to do as directed.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I have to see this,” Mina says, standing and scampering after him.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wait for me!” I call, chasing her and ogling at Bakugou.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Bakugou has successfully reached the kitchen and is opening the fridge when everyone else appears around us. He reaches in and grabs the first two eggs in the carton as Kaminari pushes past me to catch everything on camera. He snickers to himself when Bakugou raises his hand above his head to go through with the dare.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wait, not yet,” Shinsou suddenly says, also bursting through the mob of people.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Why? Are you going back on the dare?” Mina asks, confusion coloring her voice and facial expression.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Absolutely not. We just need to put something under him so the eggs don’t get all over the floor. I’m saving us a future cleaning session,” he explains, making his way to the sink and grabbing two trash bags from underneath. He holds them out and Kaminari takes one, waving it around to open it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Bakugou, give me the eggs and get in the trash bag,” Shinsou demands, holding out his hand for the eggs and handing him the bag in return.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Bakugou is surprisingly graceful while brainwashed—usually people are sluggish or clumsy. Either way, Bakugou does as he’s told and takes the eggs back from Shinsou upon instruction. His hand with one of the eggs is back over his head and a collective breath is held, waiting for the moment it connects with his head. It’s not disappointing when it does.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Egg whites and little pieces of shell fly in various directions—most dripping down his face and gathering in the trash can. Bakugou is going to be absolutely <i>livid</i> when he breaks out of his trance. Round two is on the way.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>It’s much of the same—though this time, Bakugou cracks it harder than before. A piece of the shells gets caught in my hair and a drop of yolk hits Mina in the cheek, running down her face and to her chin. I laugh out loud and am joined by most others, our only chance before Bakugou is released again. Speaking of which, Kirishima just grabs and shakes his arm to break the hold Shinsou has on him.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What the- why you little… all of you are going to fucking regret <i>eveything</i>. The only safe one is Chīsai—I spent too much time on her to let it go to waste. Everyone else…” he howls, steam pouring from his hands and fire in his red eyes.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Nice, I’ll see you all on the other side!” I giggle, backing away and watching the horror form on Kaminari and Midoriya’s faces. I laugh louder.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Am I a horrible person for watching the following moments? Yeah, you could say that. Bakugou immediately pounced on the crowd, his trash bag prison sending them all sprawled on the ground. Limbs were tangled and shouting rang out loud enough that Iida could’ve heard from his dorm room. Thankfully, there were no major injuries and the camera had caught everything.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>~</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>An hour later and everyone had done various embarrassing tasks, and Mina had dared Shinsou to buy her a pizza. Sitting around and eating the sweet cheese off the hot slice, Shinsou looks up to me.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Chīsai, truth or dare?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Truth—I wanna finish my pizza.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“How did you and Todoroki get together?” I freeze with my pizza halfway to my mouth and glance at Todoroki beside me, his shock masked better than my own.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What do you mean?” I shove the rest of the slice in my mouth, managing to avoid eye contact.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“How did you confess and how did you decide to start dating?” He’s going there? So be it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I sent him a love letter and handmade chocolates on Sunday. The letter asked him to meet me at the garden on campus after dark where I had a blanket laid out and snacks sitting in a basket. We stayed up until two in the morning, watching the stars and talking. At the end of the night, I asked him to dance with me and we slow danced under the stars. That’s when I confessed and he agreed to date me.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wow, really?” Mina asks, eyes shining as she looks at me.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“No.” Mina’s jaw drops and Shinsou chokes back a snort.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What? Then what <i>actually</i> happened? Now you have to tell the truth!” She squawks, pouting at me.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I went to his room Sunday night and it just kind of… <i>happened</i>. I’m not really sure how to describe it, but I just brought up that I liked him and he said that he didn’t mind if we tried dating. It’s pretty boring when you think about it.” That’s only a half lie, one that shows the truth while still hiding the details.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“That’s <i>it?</i> That <i>is</i> boring,” Jirou comments around her own slice of pizza.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I said it was. There wasn’t anything really romantic about it. And I’ve been super busy lately, so we haven’t gotten to go out on any <i>actual</i> dates or anything.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“But you guys <i>are</i> dating?” Mina asks, giving me a curious look.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yeah, for about two days now. Any more relationship questions? I’ll just answer them all now.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“So you confessed, but you haven’t been on any dates? That does seem super boring,” Ochako agrees, poking my arm gently.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well, what do you want me to say? I threw myself into his arms and told him how amazing of a person he is? I begged him to be my boyfriend and he just happened to say yes?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I mean, that sounds better than just agreeing to date each other.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“That sounds over the top. I’m not always the drama queen you all know me to be.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Fine, just take your turn. This is depressing to hear.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Mina, truth or dare?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Dare, obviously.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Give someone of your choosing a foot massage for three minutes.” She makes a face and sticks her tongue out at me. Sometimes messing with people is worth the payback you get from it.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>~</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“And that wraps up this video! I’ll all you Bolts later! And remember, like and subscribe for more crazy videos like this one!” Kaminari says to his phone before ending the video.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“How long is that video going to take to edit? It’s almost four hours long,” I ask, hiding a yawn with my hand.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I should have it up by tomorrow afternoon if I edit it during lunch and after class is over,” he replies, looking over his shoulder at me.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Don’t forget to tag us!” Mina giggles, bouncing in her seat.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I won’t. Hey Hitoshi, can you help me take this stuff back to my room?” He asks, gesturing to the set up.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>My heart swells at the name and I manage to conceal a squeal of happiness at the simple gesture, more than Shinsou can with his blush.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’ll see you later,” Shinsou says to me before following after the blond. Truth or dare really brings out an interesting side of everyone, that’s something I think we’ve all learned.</i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Y’ALL WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS CHAPTER ON MY IPAD, I ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE ‘READ OUT’ OPTION AND WHEN SIRI STARTED READING WAP I NEARLY DIED OF LAUGHTER XDD</p><p>Anyways, yelling aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don’t hate the ending as much as I do! *whispers* I couldn’t figure out how to end it so I just went ‘fuck it’ can you tell? Now I have to get to bed bc my mother will yell at me if I stay up too late :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Lost in Thought Bubbles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow, today’s chapter is <i>just barely</i> inside the prompt of <b>Shame</b>. And before you ask, <i>yes,</i> it’s another recycled ‘Father’s Orders’ thing bc I’ve been super busy and unmotivated.</p><p>I’m gonna throw in a TW for anxiety (not an attack, I don’t think, but just kinda vague allusions to it I guess??), so yeah, be warned.</p><p>This chapter (is kinda disappointing ngl) contains characters from BNHA, I hope you enjoy the next 7.6k words :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I didn’t mean to get on the train or to walk all the way to Shinjuku Gyoen, but my feet were in charge and not my head. My music was blaring loud enough to drown everything out, allowing me to lose focus on the world and focus only on the lyrics pouring from my headphones.</p><p>By the time I get to the park, my phone is nearly dead and my shopping bags are weighing heavily on my arms. I take the contents out of three and manage to stuff them all into the largest bag I was given. I then walk idly down the path until I find the quietest place I can and allow myself to collapse to the ground.</p><p>It’s a small grotto of trees that lay just outside of the path and offer a blindspot to people passing by. In the past, I used this spot to hide and scare my parents or play hide-and-seek with them, but now I go here only to hide from the world around me. My music goes quiet as I pull out my headphones and I push my bag off to the side so I’m able to sit in the grotto more comfortably.</p><p>I lean back, resting my head on the trunk of a tree, closing my eyes as I do. I sigh deeply, finally opening the flood gate of thoughts that have been brewing inside since lunch.</p><p><i>What were you thinking?</i> The first one demands, mind trapping me in it’s cold embrace.</p><p>
  <i>I wasn’t.</i>
</p><p><i>And what did that do for you? You blurted out that you are</i> dating Todoroki <i>straight to Endeavor’s</i> face. <i>And what’s even worse than that lie, is that you said it</i> in front of Todoroki <i>for god’s sake. How much worse could that have gone?</i></p><p>
  <i>I don’t know, I just-</i>
</p><p>
  <i>You what? You just wanted to make Endeavor upset? You wanted to get back at him for what he said about you? You wanted to make sure that he knew that you weren’t going away? You what?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>No, stop! It’s not like that!</i>
</p><p>
  <i>What is it like, then? Were you hoping to ruin your friendship with Todoroki? Because if so, then maybe you actually succeeded.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>No! Can’t you just stop for a second? I didn’t mean for any of that to happen! I didn’t mean to…</i>
</p><p>
  <i>It doesn’t matter if you meant to, you just did it. It’s in the past, and you don’t have a time Quirk to go back and fix things. Now you ruined everything with Todoroki, and maybe even Midoriya—if he was around for the brunt of it.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>They wouldn’t hate me just because of one argument, I know them. They aren’t like that.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>How would you know, you ran from them like a whiny little baby. If I were them, I’d leave and never look back. Can you imagine how much better off they’d be if you weren’t there to mess things up all the time?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>They wouldn’t… they wouldn’t leave me like that. They wouldn’t. You don’t know them!</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Oh, but I know you, Chīsai. I know everything about you. What you like to eat, what you don’t. What you hate… what you fear most.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Stop! Please, just stop!</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Oh, but Chīsai, we were only just starting! Wouldn’t you like to talk about all those time you-</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Get out of my head! Get out! Leave me alone!</i>
</p><p>
  <i>That’s no way to treat me, Chīsai. And here I was, the one who gave the idea to you that got Enji kicked out of the cafe. You really should be nicer to me, I got you out of that situation.</i>
</p><p><i>You’re the reason I was there in the first place! If you would just leave me alone, I’d be a hundred times better than I am now, and Enji would</i> love <i>me. But you’re the one that is constantly working against me to ensure that never happens. You’ve never helped me.</i></p><p>
  <i>I’ve never helped you? I’ve never helped you, Chīsai? All I did was simply give you the thought, you’re the one who went and spat it out of that mouth of yours. If anyone was to blame here, it would be you! Don’t go blaming all your problems on me. Remember, I am you.</i>
</p><p>A hot, heavy tear runs down my face, connecting with my lips. The taste is salty on my tongue, but I don’t wipe it away. Rather, I allow the rest of the tears now flowing freely to gather on my chin and run down my neck to soak the collar of my shirt. Sometimes the ones who hurt us the most are inside of us, and that hurts most of all.</p><p>~</p><p>By the time the tears stop and have dried, leaving the only evidence of them in my bloodshot eyes, the sun is dipping behind the trees. My arms and legs are sore from sitting so long without much movement, and my soul is heavy in my body, dragging it down like gravity has increased solely on me.</p><p>My mind finally comes to the present, the fog clearing and allowing my senses to return to the world around me. The first thing I notice is the darkness, shrouding the trees above me. It’s nighttime, the moon rising above me.</p><p><i>How long have I been here? What time is it?</i> Are the first things that come to mind as I grab my phone, failing to turn it on and only receiving the dead battery screen. Upon seeing it, I hurry to grab my things with the help of the moon’s light and rush out of the grotto on shaky legs, heading down the path towards the entrance of the park.</p><p><i>What will Aizawa think? What are my friends thinking? What will my</i> parents <i>think?</i> I chide myself, nearly running down the path and scolding myself with each step for not checking in with anyone.</p><p>I rush through the main entrance of the park and across the street, hoping someone will allow me to borrow a phone or a charger so I can contact the school and my parents. As I enter a shop, a few people give me odd looks, probably because some high school girl came bursting in all out of breath with a wild look in her eye—I’d be a little concerned too.</p><p>“Excuse me, is there a phone I can use? Mine died and I really need to contact my parents and my school,” I ask, looking between the two clerks behind the counter of the shop.</p><p>“Uh… sure. Do you know the numbers?” The taller clerk asks warily, coming around the counter to stand before me.</p><p>“Yes. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.” The clerk gets his phone from his pocket and hands it to me, the screen open to the dial.</p><p>“Do you… want to go in the back room? It might be more private.” I nod, following the clerk to the break room, allowing him to watch as I dial in the first number. I take a deep breath before pressing the call button, mustering as much courage as I can.</p><p>My father answers on the second ring. “Hello? Who is this?”</p><p>“Papa… it’s me. It’s Chīsai,” I answer back, feeling a wave of tears rush over me at the sound of his voice. The clerk goes to the opposite end of the room to give me more space, and I send him a grateful look.</p><p>“Chīsai! Oh, Chīsai, where have you been? It’s been hours!” My father answers, concern and worry ringing through the phone. I sniffle in an attempt to keep myself under control.</p><p>“Papa, my phone died and I… I went to Shinjuku Gyoen to think and lost track of time. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Tears are nearly spilling over in my eyes as I explain myself, my control quickly fading with each word.</p><p>“Chīsai, please- hold on-” There’s muffled shuffling on the other end of the line and my mother’s sobs are ringing in my ear.</p><p>“Kuriētā Chīsai, you’re in so much trouble! What were you thinking? Running away like that… we were so scared…” she trails off, another quiet sob crackling through the phone’s speakers.</p><p>“Mama, please don’t cry. Please… you’re going to make me cry too,” I plead, the first tears already rolling down my cheeks.</p><p>“Chīsai, we were so worried. Please, never do that again. I don’t think… I don’t think we could handle it if anything ever happened to you.”</p><p>“Mama… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m...”</p><p>“Chīsai, we can talk more in a bit. We’re heading to UA now, and I think… I think you should call them too. Make sure they know where you are so they can bring you back.” I nod, even though I know she can’t see me in fear my voice will betray me if I try to open my mouth.</p><p>“Chīsai, we love you. We’ll see you in a little bit.” With that, my mother hangs up the phone. Tears are still running down my face and it takes me a few more moments to stop the rivers connecting on my chin. The clerk offers me a box of Kleenex and I offer a weak smile in return.</p><p>Once I’ve gone through more tissues than I’d like to admit, I’m finally ready to make the second call. I look to the clerk.  “Do you mind if I make a second call? I need to make sure my school knows where I am.”</p><p>“Just do what you need to. You can bring the phone back when you’re done,” he says before turning and leaving the break room.</p><p>I look down at the phone again. This time, it takes me longer to type in the number, having only used it a few times prior. Soon enough, the phone is ringing and a tired voice is calling through the line.</p><p>“Aizawa? It’s Chīsai.”</p><p>“Chīsai?” There’s a shuffling before he speaks again. “Where are you now? I’m coming to get you.”</p><p>“I’m across the street from Shinjuku Gyoen. I don’t know the shop’s name, but I’ll wait outside the park for you. How long will it take?”</p><p>“We’re about ten minutes away, stay where you are until we arrive. And prepare for the fallout, it won’t be pretty.” Before I can respond, the phone line clicks and goes dead.</p><p>With another deep breath, I exit the break room and into the main portion of the shop. Walking towards the counter, I wait for the clerk to come over and take the phone back.</p><p>“Thank you so much for allowing me to use your phone,” I say, bowing at him.</p><p>“It’s alright. Do you know where you’re going?” He asks, earning a nod from me.</p><p>“Yes, they’re sending someone to pick me up, so I’m going to be waiting outside for them to arrive. Thank you again.” He nods once more before I turn to leave.</p><p>Stepping outside of the shop, the night air is cool on my skin, seeing as I’m only wearing a white blouse and a light pink skirt. I wasn’t planning on staying out this late, but I didn’t really plan for any of this.</p><p>I wait in silence, watching people pass and cars speed past me. Everyone seems so happy as they pass me, most likely enjoying the weekend night and all that comes with it. Perhaps they’re out to see a movie or go on a date, perhaps they’re trying to live in the moment while it’s still here. I continue to stand still and wait for my teacher.</p><p>He arrives right when he said he would, but he’s not the one that greets me. Rather, Midnight leaps out of the car before it’s even turned off with Mic hot on her heels. They both come barreling towards me, enveloping me in a warm embrace as Aizawa takes his time coming over to us.</p><p>“Chīsai! Oh my god, Chīsai! We were so worried! We thought you ran off with villains!” Midnight calls into my ear, causing me to lean away slightly and my eyebrow to raise in question.</p><p>“Midnight, nobody thought that. You’re being irrational,” Aizawa drones, looking over the three of us with ever bored eyes.</p><p>“Well, I was worried! Chīsai, you had everyone scrambling over themselves to find you!” Mic shouts, causing me to lean back towards Midnight in fear of losing my hearing.</p><p>
  <i>You made everyone worry. You’re good at that, aren’t you?</i>
</p><p>“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. My phone died and I didn’t even notice what time it was. I didn’t mean to make anyone worry or upset,” I reply, backing out of the embrace but allowing them to keep their arms on mine.</p><p>“You didn’t notice the time? You just roamed the park without seeing the sun go down?” Aizawa questions, skepticism clear in his tone.</p><p>“Well, when you say it like that… now it just sounds fake.”</p><p>“Don’t pay any attention to him, Chīsai, he was more worried than any of us. Aizawa was running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off trying to locate you,” Midnight muses, a scoff coming from my teacher in return.</p><p>
  <i>You even got Aizawa to worry about you. That’s a feat in and of itself, I don’t know if I should be impressed or disappointed.</i>
</p><p>“As fun as that sounds, I’d rather not make this a regular occurrence. I’m honestly kind of tired and really want to get back to my dorm room as soon as possible.” Mic and Midnight smile at me as they usher me towards the car they arrived in, allowing me to finally notice the two police cars parked around it.</p><p>“Why are there police cars?” I ask, looking between the adults.</p><p>“They wanted to make sure you weren’t bait from villains or someone else was impersonating you. It was more of a precaution than anything else,” Mic explains, waving them off and opening the backseat door for me.</p><p>
  <i>Wow, even the cops are involved. What’s next? Did they call in the kōanchōsa-chō as well? I would personally love to see that.</i>
</p><p>“Oh.” I climb into the seat and watch as Mic closes the door behind me before walking around to the passenger seat and climbing in. Midnight slides in next to me, leaving Aizawa to drive us back to campus.</p><p>~</p><p>Once on campus, I notice the absence of people. The school campus that is usually bursting with energy and people is eerily quiet and devoid of life, even though it’s a weekend night when people are the most active. We walk into the main building, the heavy silence doing more for my nerves than settling them. At least there’s no one to make me feel guiltier with their prying eyes.</p><p>The three heros usher me towards Nezu’s office, knocking gently on the wood of the door when we arrive. A call from inside allows us entrance and we quickly step inside.</p><p>I take in all the faces now looking back at me, those familiar and those I don’t know. Nezu, All Might, Recovery Girl, my parents, and a few members of the police force stand waiting for me, all eyes trained on me as I look back at them. I can hardly contain the nerves threatening inside of me, my body wanting to shake from the pressure.</p><p>A chair is gestured to by Nezu, prompting me to walk over and sit. I do just that, feeling smaller than ever before. I can feel my body shrinking under the gazes, not a soul daring to speak. This silence is too much, too loud and too suffocating. I swallow thickly to try and clear the lump from my throat that seems to be constricting my breathing.</p><p>“Kuriētā,” Nezu finally says, folding his hands on his desk, “feel free to explain everything when you’re ready.”</p><p>I nod, gathering all the strength inside of me and opening my mouth. “This morning, as many 
—if not all—of you know, I left UA this morning with my parents to do a news interview. All went well with the interview and I then left my parents to meet with my friends at a cafe not far from here.”</p><p>“And what happened there?” Thankfully, this part is easier to talk about.</p><p>“Nothing much. I met with my friends and we talked for a bit, deciding what to do for the day. We determined that we would go shopping at Kiyashi Ward for the group outing we planned for tomorrow. Everything was going fine.”</p><p>“And what about the incident that was mentioned? When did that happen?” I swallow again, emotion swirling through me and threatening to break through.</p><p>“W-well, after we did a bit of shopping, we decided to meet back up at a cat cafe in the mall for lunch. It was only after lunch and everyone but Todoroki and I were left alone that everything turned for the worse.”</p><p>“What happened, Kuriētā?” Nezu prods, leaning forward slightly. I keep my eyes trained on my hands fidgeting in my lap as I go to explain.</p><p>“Endeavor. He… he came into the cafe and demanded to know why Todoroki and I were at the cafe together. He began… yelling at me. I stood up to try and dissuade things to escalate, but I… it didn’t work.”</p><p>My mother is shaking where she stands next to my father, eyes wide and unshed tears glistening in her eyes. My father is holding her tightly and has a sad expression on his face while All Might and the other heros just look grim.</p><p>“I moved in front of Todoroki to protect him, I didn’t know what Endeavor wanted to do. But that just made him angrier, it made his flames hotter than I’d ever seen them. I tried to keep things under control, I tried to stop anything from happening… but I… I only made it worse. I made it so much worse.”</p><p>At this point, tears are streaming from my eyes and I’m fighting to keep my voice from breaking. I’m sure everyone can see me crying, but I keep my head down anyways. “He threatened me, saying that if I didn’t move out of his way, that he would- he would move me himself. And I… I wasn’t thinking and blurted something out that… He erupted at me. His flames were blue and it felt like standing too close to a forest fire, but I couldn’t… I couldn’t let him hurt Todoroki. I just couldn’t… I didn’t want something to happen to him because I- because I couldn’t control my words.“</p><p>Nezu hums solemnly, his eyes closed as he processes my words. “I see. And after that?”</p><p>“The manager and staff came over and they- they kicked Endeavor out. He left, but the manager told me that I used my one warning. I was shaking and all my hair was on end but- but there wasn’t anything I could do. I felt like I couldn’t move.”</p><p>“And how was Todoroki reacting?”</p><p>“He was shocked, but I don’t think he was- he didn’t look angry. I felt so bad for- for arguing with his father in public in front of him. But I didn’t want something to happen to him. I wanted to… I wanted to protect him.” I feel myself begin to calm down, the tears stopping but I don’t look up yet.</p><p>“I see. Midoriya mentioned that you disappeared after leaving the cafe. Where did you go?”</p><p>“I didn’t plan to go anywhere, I just wanted to think for a while. I was listening to music and just let my feet take me somewhere, and I ended up at Shinjuku Gyoen.”</p><p>“What did you do while you were there?”</p><p>“There’s a little grotto of trees that provide a hiding spot off the path. I went there and just… thought for a while.”</p><p>“Do you know what time it is right now?” Nezu asks, switching the topic suddenly.</p><p>“No? My phone died and I never thought about checking.”</p><p>“It’s currently… 8:34 at night. That means you were gone for about seven hours—around five or six of them spent ‘thinking’ as you said.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t know- I didn’t mean to be gone, I just… I’m sorry.” The calm that had started is replaced with a heavy guilt</p><p>“What were you thinking about, during that time?” I take a deep breath, taking a moment to respond. Burning eyes bore holes into me the longer I take to reply.</p><p>“I was thinking about… everything, I guess. I was thinking about what happened and how things got out of hand. I thought about how Todoroki felt and how I failed to deescalate the situation. I guess I let my thoughts get out of hand.”</p><p>“And would you say you do this often? Get lost in thoughts like these?”</p><p>“I guess… sometimes I can’t sleep at night because I’m thinking too much. There’s always that voice that tells me when I’m doing something wrong, that always reminds me of all the things I’ve done in my life. I don’t think it’s anything bad, if that’s what you’re implying. Everyone gets lost in their thoughts sometimes when they’re worked up.”</p><p>“Kuriētā, this may not seem important, but it may be a key factor in ensuring that this doesn’t happen again in the future. For now, I think it’s best if you return to your dorm for the night. We will discuss things and inform you in the morning of the consequences of these actions before you leave with your class. Your parents will escort you back to your dorm,” Nezu explains, standing from his chair and smiling fondly at me. I stand as well, finally looking at my parents.</p><p>“I understand. I apologise for any worry I may have caused. Good night,” I say with a bow before turning and exiting the room with my parents right behind me.</p><p>We hardly get halfway down the hallway before my parents are pouncing on me, dragging me into a tearful hug. Tears freely flow down my face and I allow my parents to squeeze every ounce of air out of my lungs. In the silence that surrounds us, only stuttering gasps and quiet sobs break through.</p><p>“Chīsai, please, never do anything like that again! You scared us so much, we thought… we thought we lost you,” my mother cries, stroking my hair softly.</p><p>“You’ll never lose me, I promise,” I manage, gripping onto my parents tighter.</p><p>My father’s lips quiver at that statement, but turn up at the corners in a show of bravery. My parents let go of me in favor of returning to the dorms, but it all seems too early. I can tell they feel the same in the way they take to holding each other as I lead them down the hallway.</p><p>~</p><p>My father squeezes my hand where it’s held in his own. “Chīsai, we love you with all our hearts. Don’t forget that.”</p><p>We’re standing a few meters from my dorm, at the end of the path leading up to the large building. My parents are currently wishing me good night, something that would regularly only take a minute or two.</p><p>“Remember, you can always come to us when you’re upset,” my mother says, looking at me intently. I nod with a small smile.</p><p>“Always. I’ll see you again soon. I think it’s time for me to go to bed though, it’s getting a bit late and I’m tired.” My parents offer their own sad smiles before leaning in to kiss my forehead softly.</p><p>They then take their leave and make their way back towards the main building as I face my dorm. I take a deep breath and approach slowly, as if I’m waiting for someone to sneak up on me and demand to know where I was.</p><p><i>You can do this, Chīsai. If you can handle Nezu and Aizawa, as well as your parents, then you shouldn’t have any problems with your friends,</i> I think to myself, trying to hype myself up.</p><p><i>I believe in you, Chīsai,</i> the tiny voice I hardly ever hear chimes in, making me feel better. That voice has always been kinder, but hardly ever makes itself known, rather the harsher one always drowning it out.</p><p>With a new sense of resolve, I reach the door and place a hand on the door handle. <i>Here I go.</i></p><p>As soon as the door opened, I was engulfed. I barely make it inside the doorway as Ochako, Mina, and Kaminari quite literally pounce on me. I then see the rest of the class come over and join in, with the exception of Bakugou, Todoroki, and Shinsou. Iida’s also not really participating, more trying to keep everyone from crushing me and getting out of the doorway. With all the attention, you’d think I disappeared for a few—oh… wait…</p><p>“H-hey everyone. I- geez, you're strong!” I manage as Ochako and Mina squeeze me at the same time.</p><p>“Don’t you dare ever do that again!” Ochako says, shooting me a glare with no real heat behind it.</p><p>“Yeah! We were all super worried about you!” Mina chimes in, pouting as she refuses to let up the tight grip on me.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I just- I need air to breathe!” They finally let up and allow me to pull oxygen into my struggling lungs, a much needed breath after being bombarded.</p><p>“What happened? You were gone for hours without a single trace!” Kaminari asks, his bright eyes focused on my blue ones.</p><p>“I- uh, I may have-” I manage before Iida’s interrupting me.</p><p>“Everyone, let us move away from the doors and into the common room! Though we are all glad Chīsai has returned, we can exercise regular manners!” The man calls, waving his arms around all box-like.</p><p>I take Iida’s interruption as a chance to change the topic, giving Kaminari a sheepish smile. “Iida’s right, you know. Can’t we at least sit down first?”</p><p>Kaminari pouts but allows me to move from the door and towards the common room. Most follow, but some break away and head towards the stairs or elevator, choosing to go back to their rooms. I sit in the middle of the couch with Mina and Kaminari pressed into my sides.</p><p>“So what happened? Todoroki and the others wouldn’t say anything!” Mina pries, clinging onto my arm.</p><p>“Well, it wasn’t as eventful as you think it was. I wasn’t captured by villains or anything, clearly,” I explain, trying to pull my arm from the woman’s grasp with little success.</p><p>“We were so worried, Chīsai! It was crazy! You wouldn’t believe what happened because you left!” Kaminari says, throwing his arms behind his head with a huff.</p><p>“Like what? I can’t imagine-” I start before Mina’s talking.</p><p>“They locked down the whole campus to look for you! It was <i>insane</i>!” Mina exclaims, tossing her hands out wildly.</p><p><i>Was that why there was nobody around when I got here? No, that has to be an exaggeration, there’s no way that Nezu would shut down all of UA just for me,</i> I think, internally shaking my head at the thought.</p><p>“Are you sure? That seems a bit overboard,” I reply, giving her a deadpan expression.</p><p>“It’s true, Hair Dye, the teachers shut down the gyms and made everyone go to their dorms to make sure that everyone else was accounted for. It <i>was</i> overboard,” Bakugou comments, voice gruff as always. A pang of dread and guilt shoots through me.</p><p>
  <i>You caused the entire campus to shut down? Wow, this just keeps getting better and better for you, doesn’t it? What’s next, you’re going to set the entirety of Japan in lockdown next time? I’d love to see that happen, I’m sure-</i>
</p><p>“But it’s fine now, everyone was freaking out at first because they didn’t know what was happening—<i>especially the first years</i>—but when they heard that someone was missing they all chipped in to make sure that it wasn’t anyone they knew. The worst part of it all was having to stay here and not being able to help look, in my opinion,” Mina says easily, like it’s nothing at all.</p><p>
  <i>Everyone was freaking out because of you. This really is a great night for you, isn’t it? God, I can’t wait to hear what they have to say next. Maybe aliens have finally made contact and they want to steal you away so you don’t cause any more problems for the people here.</i>
</p><p>“T-that sounds really crazy. I’m sorry for disappearing, I didn’t really mean to.” A blanket of guilt is draped over my shoulders and I feel like collapsing into myself, but when some of the eyes on me turn concerned, I force a smile.</p><p>“So what did you do, though? You still haven’t told us yet,” Kaminari presses again, obviously not giving up on the topic.</p><p>“I’m not sure how much Aizawa and Nezu want me telling anyone yet. They said they wanted to talk it over and that they would speak with me again in the morning before we leave. I’m assuming that they’re wanting to decide how to tell everyone else.” Kaminari and Mina let out disappointed whines, but drop it.</p><p>“Can you at least tell us why you didn’t answer your phone? Everyone tried calling you and sending texts but you didn’t answer once,” Ochako asks.</p><p>“It died, actually. I accidentally drained the battery by listening to music and didn’t notice how low it had gotten before it was dead.”</p><p>“Then how did you know we were looking for you?”</p><p>“Well, it was already dark by the time I really noticed the time. I borrowed the phone of some person working at a shop to call my parents and Aizawa. Besides, I’d figured that people would be looking for me because it was dark.”</p><p>“How did you not see that it was dark out? That doesn’t make sense, Hair Dye,” Bakugou comments, hands stuffed in his pockets and fierce gaze looking down on me.</p><p>“I don’t know how much-”</p><p>“What are you hiding from us?” He snarls, my skin prickling up and nearly making me flinch.</p><p>“Dude, she already said she can’t really say anything right now. We can just wait for Monday to find out what we need to know from Aizawa,” Kirishima says, placing a hand on Bakugou’s shoulder—to hold him back or calm him down, I have no idea.</p><p>“Tsk, I’m sure everyone here can tell that Chīsai isn’t telling the truth—or at least not all of it.” I glance around at the faces around me, and notice a few people looking at me with skeptical gleams in their eyes.</p><p>“Bakugou, I’m really not trying to hide anything, I just don’t know if Aizawa or Nezu want me to say anything yet!”</p><p>“Then why did you run in the first place? Why did you run away?” That catches me off guard, and I pause for a moment.</p><p>
  <i>What would they say if they knew you fought with Endeavor? Would they yell at you and get angry? Or would they just ignore you because you only know how to stir up trouble?</i>
</p><p>“I just- I spoke with someone, and-” I’m fumbling with my words, trying to explain myself while also keeping the real reason concealed. My palms are sweating and my eyes are trained on the edge of my skirt.</p><p>“You can’t even come up with an excuse. I bet that you were just upset that you couldn’t buy what you wanted at the mall, or something dumb like that. You’re dramatic and overreacted, as always.” That statement makes anger flare up inside me and I have to work to keep it all locked away.</p><p>
  <i>Seems like Bakugou is trying to pick a fight. Are you just going to sit there and let him get away with it? Or are you going to stand up for yourself?</i>
</p><p>“I’m sorry? You think I would react like that because I couldn’t <i>buy something</i>?” I say, allowing some of my anger to surface. I lift my head to stare directly into his eyes.</p><p>“Isn’t that what I said? Am I wrong?” He’s daring me to challenge his word, only pushing at the bubbling anger still rising in me. Would it really be that bad to let it out? I stand up.</p><p>“I could buy the entire <i>store</i> if I wanted to. And I don’t need a cent of my parents money to do so. Can you say the same?” Bakugou clicks his tongue again but smiles deviously at me.</p><p>“Okay, I think that’s enough. We don’t need a fight after Chīsai just got back,” Kirishima says, stepping forward and placing an arm in front of Bakugou to directly hold him back this time.</p><p>“Why? Afraid I’m just going to send her running again?” I growl and feel hands latch onto my wrists, grounding me in place.</p><p>“Alright, Bakugou, that is enough! We do not need any further incidents tonight!” Iida finally says, waving a hand towards the man. Red eyes locked on mine dare me to defy Iida.</p><p>I easily break out of the hold Mina and Kaminari have on my wrists, but close my eyes and take a deep breath. I manage to shove all my anger down to help clear my head, opening my eyes again and turning away from Bakugou.</p><p>“I think I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I declare, not bothering to look at anyone before swiftly exiting the room with my bag and making my way up to my dorm room.</p><p>~</p><p>As soon as the door locks behind me, I drop my bag and go to faceplant into my bed. The soft blanket and pillows comfort me as I lay there, a silent comfort in their embrace. But before long, I’m sitting up so I can take my shoes off and put away my things. Just because you’ve had a long day doesn’t mean you can’t clean up—at least that’s what I’ve always known. So I set to work, it shouldn’t take long anyways.</p><p>I plug my phone in, hanging my clothes up or folding and placing them in the custom cabinets I had installed to the bottom of the closet. I then grab an old pair of cloth shorts and an old shirt to change into before throwing my hair up into a bun. Once that’s all done, I allow myself to sit back down on my bed.</p><p>I switch on the fairy lights strung up on the canopy above my bed and roll over to check my phone, seeing about a hundred missed calls and texts from my absence. Sighing, I begin scrolling through the messages. The greatest number of text messages comes from one Mina Ashido.</p><p>
  <b>Pink Drink</b><br/>
<i>WHERE R U????<br/>
CHĪSAI ANSWER ME<br/>
Chīsai, I stg<br/>
ANSWER UR PHONE<br/>
CHĪSAI IM NOT JOKING<br/>
WHERE R U RN??<br/>
Chīsai if u don’t answer soon iida’s gonna tell aizawa ur not here<br/>
Ok threats don’t work<br/>
But srsly, where r u??<br/>
We’re all worried about u pls come back<br/>
Chīsai?<br/>
Chīsai what happened???<br/>
Todo said u were upset + ran<br/>
Deku said u were ok @ lunch but then u left<br/>
Ur making me nervous where r u<br/>
Aizawa is here + everyone is @ the dorms<br/>
We looked for u but ur not on campus<br/>
Pls come back<br/>
Omg r u leaving us???<br/>
R u a traitor + villain?????<br/>
Iida says ur not but ur not here rn<br/>
Ok ig ur not but idk<br/>
I’m gonna stop texting u now bc iida says<br/>
Pls come back Chīsai</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Ok it’s been over 2 hrs<br/>
Where tf r u<br/>
The first yrs are freaking out bc nezu is closing campus<br/>
It’s kinda chaotic rn pls come back<br/>
Aizawa is calling ur parents<br/>
Everyone is freaking out<br/>
Hold on, aizawa is making us help the first yrs</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Ok I’m backkk<br/>
But ur still not??<br/>
It’s been 4 hrs<br/>
Chīsai u need to answer me<br/>
Chīsai!!<br/>
Where r u I’m coming to get u rn<br/>
But I need u to answer<br/>
Ugh guess I’m not<br/>
But srsly u need to come back<br/>
Chīsai, ur scaring all of us</i>
</p><p>That’s where the messages end, and I’ve never been happier to clear notifications in my life. Along with Mina’s forty-one text messages, there are fourteen missed calls and six voicemails from the girl. Though there’s significantly less messages and calls, Ochako also sent me plenty.</p><p>
  <b>Space Cadet</b><br/>
<i>Chīsai where are you??<br/>
We’re heading back to the dorms, I don’t want you to be upset<br/>
We lost you in the crowd, so I guess I’ll see you at the dorms then<br/>
Okay then please make it back safely</i>
</p><p>
  <i>When I said make it back safely<br/>
I meant make it back at all<br/>
Where are you???<br/>
A search party just got back and they said that they couldn’t find you at the gym or library<br/>
Please tell me you’re just taking a really long way back<br/>
Chīsai?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Okay so it’s been four hours and Aizawa is taking our phones<br/>
He says we’ve been calling and texting you too much<br/>
So I just hope you’re okay and that you’ll be back soon<br/>
We’re all worried, but I’m sure you’re fine<br/>
You’re Chīsai and nobody would dare mess with you<br/>
Please come back soon</i>
</p><p>Sixteen messages in total, but the words on my screen hold so much unspoken concern and worry from the other girl that it makes my heart squeeze in guilt. There’s also two missed calls and a voicemail from her, but I leave that for later. I decide to quickly scroll through the rest of my messages first.</p><p>Most people only sent the classic ‘Where are you?’ text and then left it at that with only a single call, but some people got creative. Take Shinsou and Kaminari for example.</p><p>
  <b>Dr. Eyebags</b><br/>
<i>Chīsai I’m filming aizawa running around looking for you, I’ll send it once you’re back</i>
</p><p>Is the only message from the one man, a smile playing on my lips before moving to the next message.</p><p>
  <b>Charger Port</b><br/>
<i>Chīsaiiiiiii I’m never charging ur phone again<br/>
U ran away :(<br/>
Not plus ultra at all</i>
</p><p>Read Kaminari’s three messages. Kaminari also left me a voicemail, which I’ll listen to shortly. There’s only two more messages to open. Unfortunately, they’re from Midoriya and Todoroki.</p><p>
  <b>Green Naruto</b><br/>
<i>Chīsai, I know what happened<br/>
Please come back soon, we’re worried<br/>
I’ll delete the video of you petting the cat too if it makes you feel better<br/>
I hope you’re okay</i>
</p><p>I pause for a moment, trying to collect myself. Midoriya saw everything, he knows everything that happened. That means that he knows exactly what was said—everything <i>I</i> said. With that at the back of my mind, I open Todoroki’s messages.</p><p>
  <b>Ice Prince</b><br/>
<i>Chīsai, I know you’re not here<br/>
Can we talk when you get back?</i>
</p><p>My immediate reaction is to close out of my messaging app completely and nearly throw my phone across the bed. Thankfully, I’m able to suppress the urge to toss my phone away from me, but instead go to the phone app to clear out my missed calls and listen to my voicemails. Other than Mina, Ochako, and Kaminari, I have a voicemail from Aizawa and one from an unknown number. I open Mina’s first voicemail.</p><p>“Oh my god, Chīsai! Where are you? You’re not answering my messages and you didn’t pick up the phone? Where are you, we checked the library and the gym, but you weren’t there! Call me back ASAP!” The girl calls into the phone, drawing out words as panic laces her voice.</p><p>
  <i>They said a search party went looking for you, but I didn’t know if they really meant it. That’s actually golden, I wonder how many people went out on a wild goose chase to find out you weren’t even on the premises!</i>
</p><p>“Shut up, I’ve heard enough of you today. Turns out we were at that park for <i>six hours</i> while you told me how awful of a person I am. Not like I don’t already know that.”</p><p>I click on the next voicemail after deleting the first one. This one is much of the same. And so is the next one, and the one after that. All of Mina’s voicemails are her asking where I am and when I’ll be back while also commenting on what’s going on at the time. In the final voicemail she tells me that Aizawa is taking her phone and that she misses me. That causes me to crack a little bit.</p><p>Forcing myself to remain under control, I move to Ochako’s voicemail. It’s short, only lasting a couple of seconds.</p><p>“Chīsai, are you there? Oh, I guess not, seeing as this is a voicemail. Just call me when you see this, okay? We’re all waiting here for you.”</p><p>I smile before clicking on the next voicemail. It’s from Kaminari and there are many ways this could go.</p><p>“Chīsai! Where are you? We’re all at the dorms right now, Aizawa and Nezu made everyone come back early to make sure that everyone else was accounted for. The first years are kinda freaking out because they’re being forced into the dorms for the night, and we’re about to go over there to help out the teachers and calm some nerves I guess. They’ll listen to their senpai’s or something like that. I don’t know if I’ll get used to the whole ‘Kaminari-senpai’ thing, it’s just so cute! Anyways, I just wanted to call you because you haven’t answered Mina’s texts and she’s really upset right now. I told her that I’d call you and leave a voicemail for you to listen to so that she would feel better, even though Ochako also left one already. Okay, well, I’ve got to go now! We’ll see you in a bit, I’m sure you’ll be around soon.”</p><p>A small smile plays on my lips, more out of sadness than happiness at the thought of upsetting Mina so much. I truly didn’t mean to make anyone upset, and now I’ve gone and made everyone worried about me. Forget it, let’s just listen to Aizawa’s voicemail.</p><p>“Chīsai, I’m not sure where you are or why you left, but you need to come back. I’m going to call your parents as soon as I’m done talking here. It’s been three hours since you disappeared and I want you to know that you’ve thrown the entirety of UA into chaos and that you might pass Midoriya or Bakugou for the biggest problem child in 3-A right now. I’ll see you when you get here, but I can’t promise that I won’t be the one dragging you back.”</p><p>With that obvious threat, I delete the message. Though I know he doesn’t mean anything cruel when he calls me a problem child—nearly all of our class are considered to be problem children by the man—I can’t help but deflate at the words. But no matter, I have one final voicemail to listen to from an unknown number.</p><p>“Chīsai, this is Principal Nezu. I know you don’t know this number, but after learning that you are not on the UA campus and we do not know where you may be, I decided that I would try calling your phone anyways. Since you did not answer, I’ll assume that your phone is either off, dead, or you chose to ignore a call from an unknown number. I’d like to inform you that we are searching for you now and that the UA campus has been temporarily closed until we see your safe return. Thank you, and I hope to see you soon.”</p><p>So even Principal Nezu called me to check up on me while I went off grid. At least I know people care, right? Even if their worrying makes me feel like an awful person and I hate causing any sort of negative emotion? That’s normal, right? We’ll go with that for now.</p><p>I drop my phone on the bed beside me and bury my head into the nearest pillow—a pastel pink strawberry milk pillow to be exact. Spending a few moments focusing only on my breathing and not on the tight knot in the pit of my stomach, I wallow in the silence of my room. The buzz of my fairy lights and the hum of the building. It’s interesting how many different sounds we can miss everyday if you’re not truly listening to the world around you.</p><p>I take a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds before sighing it back out my nose and sitting up. Since I’ve already changed for the night, all I have left to do is brush my teeth and use the bathroom before I can crash for the night. I’ve been dead on my feet since lunch, and everything after has done nothing to change that. I can’t wait to cuddle up under the warm covers of my bed and forget the world exists.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*long, exasperated sigh* Did I do good? Was that chapter decent enough? I hope so, I’m really freaking tired right now bro. </p><p>This chapter is actually a couple of chapters that are posted in ‘Father’s Orders’ now, so if you possibly recognized it, that’s why. Also, the ‘shame’ comes in to play bc Chīsai is ashamed with herself and her actions, but if I have to explain it, that means my writing wasn’t good enough that it was implied :/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Lavender</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Bi Icon</b>! I think you know which electric boi this chapter is dedicated to XD</p><p>This chapter contains many gay thoughts and general shenanigans, along with characters from My Hero Academia!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If Kaminari had to choose his favorite thing about an ideal partner, it would have to be purple. They would have purple hair and purple eyes and just the general <i>purple</i> vibe going on. Yeah, that’s a must have—everything else is just extra. Like the attitude or tired demeanor.</p><p>Now, there are two people that could describe. And we all know <i>which two</i>, but we don’t really need to get too into detail, really, can’t we just <i>spare whatever dignity Kaminari has left</i>? That’d be great, thanks.</p><p>Kaminari noticed this preference arise at the Sports Festival. When purple dressed in orange and stood out in the arena, blushing in embarrassment and trying to hide from the crowd’s eyes. Or when purple nearly overpowered Midoriya with a few words. Definitely awoke something in him, that’s for sure.</p><p>And the next time purple caught his eye was at the School Festival. When purple was up on stage with him, belting out the words to a song of their own creation for the school. Or afterwards when they went through a haunted house and purple hung upside down from the ceiling, shirt dragged up in gravity’s grip and showing of a <i>toned as fuck</i> torso Kaminari would’ve drooled at if he hadn’t been fearing for his life.</p><p>And, hot <i>damn</i>, did he love purple during joint training. He can remember being insanely impressed by purple, the determination and hero-hopeful attitude shining through that thick exterior and making his heart beat just a <i>tiny bit</i> faster. Or when purple kicked ass with Bakugou, Sero, and Satou, taking down Class 1-B in an indisputable victory. That really made Kaminari stand up straight and pay attention.</p><p>So, yeah, there were a few times that convinced Kaminari of his preference. And as he’s sitting in the common room of the 1-A dorm with purple teaching him about music theory, he can’t help but feel that familiar <i>swoop</i> in his stomach as his eyes meet lavender ones.</p><p>“Kaminari,” purple starts, giving him a deadpan look, “are you even paying attention?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course! You were talking about… song length?”</p><p>“No, dummy, I was talking about key signatures and time signatures. What are you thinking about?” Purple asks with a roll of their eyes. Kaminari doesn’t really feel like telling the truth, because <i>he’s not that dumb, really</i>.</p><p>“Thinking about how Sero ate a ghost pepper at lunch. Definitely not how pretty your eyes are.” <i>Nailed it</i>.</p><p>Purple blushes scarlet in a moment, sputtering. “W-What? Kaminari, you can’t just <i>say that</i>!”</p><p>“What? Why not?” He asks, tilting his head to the side innocently. Hadn’t he just said Sero set his mouth on fire? Was there something socially unacceptable about that?</p><p>“Because!” Purple huffs and looks away, pointedly ignoring Kaminari as their cheeks still burn brightly. Kaminari decides to shrug it off and move on.</p><p>~</p><p>Kaminari is thoroughly fucked. Like <i>genuinely</i> fucked. Purple decided to come to the 1-A dorms for <i>whatever reason</i> and decided that it would be a good idea to <i>fall asleep on top of Kaminari</i>. Which triggered the <i>absolute fucking heart attack</i> Kaminari is now going through. And he can’t move because <i>anyone who wakes up an insomniac is a monster, Bakugou.</i></p><p>“Why did you let this happen anyways? This entire situation could’ve been avoided,” Mina comments, peering down at him from where he’s laying on the common room couch with purple curled up against him, sleeping peacefully.</p><p>“I don’t know, it just kind of… <i>happened</i> and now—well you can see what happened!” He whispers aggressively, trying to keep all movement to a minimum. Thankfully, purple sleeps deeply when able to <i>fall asleep</i> so Kaminari doesn’t have to worry that much.</p><p>“But, like, <i>cuddling</i>? On the <i>common room couch</i>? That kinda seems like you were asking for it, to be honest,” Mina replies. Kaminari sends her a weak glare that morphs into a pout as the girl shrugs at him.</p><p>“Oh well, it’s not my problem. Your best bet is just to fall asleep too. Then you can cuddle back without having to be nervous about it. And we’ll be able to take pictures without all your whining.” If Kaminari could squawk at the girl and flip her off, he would. But his right hand is wound around purple’s back, resting upon the warm and soft fabric of their sweatshirt as his left hand is curled in purple’s hair, absentmindedly running through the soft lavender locks.</p><p>“How did you end up in that position though?” Sero asks, smirking down on Kaminari’s blush.</p><p>“I was laying on the couch and he just flopped down on top of me. He said he was tired and I said that I didn’t have anywhere to be, and then he fell asleep. And now I’m trapped here for however long until he wakes up!”</p><p>“Do you want him to wake up? Cause we can help with that.” There’s a sinister way Sero said that, and Kaminari absolutely <i>does not</i> enjoy it.</p><p>“No! No… I just… I want to complain about it without you actually doing anything!”</p><p>“Fine, whatever. Just complain in your head cause I don’t think any of us want to hear it.”</p><p>Kaminari sticks his tongue out like a child. “Meanie.”</p><p>His friends just scoff and roll their eyes before abandoning him for their phones or to talk with someone else. And so Kaminari was left alone—listening to only the deep rhythmic breathing of purple on top of him—to think.</p><p><i>It’s okay,</i> his mind starts off, trying to be reassuring, <i>everything will be fine. So long as you don’t think about the strong arms holding onto you like you’re a pillow or the way you can feel his heartbeat in your stomach. Or the way purple hair is tickling the underside of your chin while he sleeps peacefully for once. Oh, and definitely don’t think about the fact that he chose to crash on top of you instead of the two </i>completely unoccupied<i> couches. Don’t think about that and you’ll be set.</i></p><p>Except he was thinking about that, obviously. Because Kaminari’s brain is really only good for two things: short circuiting, and doing exactly what he doesn’t want it to do—like think about purple in his arms. Maybe one day he’ll learn to get over that and truly take control of all the self-induced chaos. But until then, purple will continue to be his favorite factor in love.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Now, could I have found a different subject to focus on instead of Kaminari? Yes. Did I want to? Absolutely fucking not. I adore this mans with my entire heart and will defend him until the world freaking ends.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Petty Arguments</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I decided that with the prompt of <b>Vampire Cowboy</b>, that there would be no better time to let a little chaos and pettiness join us in our little October journey.</p><p>Disclaimer: this is not serious in any way XD</p><p>This chapter contains characters from Voltron!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lance had called him a vampire. A vampire <i>cowboy</i> with a <i>’stupid looking mullet, how can you wear your hair like that?’</i> Keith didn’t really see it, but didn’t care enough to ask. Just like he didn’t see the point in answering Lance’s ‘Vol’ with ‘tron’—because what <i>really</i> was the point?</p><p>But when it was brought up at dinner with the rest of the paladins and two remaining Alteans, Keith had no choice but to pay attention. Especially when Lance is as loud as he currently is.</p><p>“All I’m saying is that Keith is <i>absolutely</i> a vampire cowboy! Like, have you seen him!” Lance declares, waving his spoon in Keith’s direction and nearly flinging space goo in Pidge’s face as a result.</p><p>“And what makes you say that? Just because he’s a little pale and lived out in the country?” Shiro asks, looking at Lance with skeptical amusement. At least someone is entertained by this conversation—something Keith most definitely <i>is not</i>.</p><p>“Exactly! See, even Shiro can tell!”</p><p>“Lance, that wasn’t exactly me agreeing with you—I was more asking for your perspective, if anything.”</p><p>“Shiro, you can’t just take back your agreeing with me! That’s, like, against the rules!”</p><p>“As far as I’m aware, there <i>are</i> no rules like that in the castle. Now if we were talking about getting a pet wolf that could teleport while bonding with a long lost mother, that’s a different story—not like I think something like that would ever happen, but you never know!” Coran comments, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. Hardly anything that man ever said made any sense to anyone but himself.</p><p>“Coran, you’re so not helping! Come on, someone’s gotta believe me! Hunk, buddy, say you believe me?” Lance tries, desperation clouding his face and voice as he looks to his best friend.</p><p>“I don’t know, man… It seems like you’re trying too hard on this one. Last time you said he was part Galra because his teeth are a little sharper and his eyes ‘glow in the dark’ which is impossible.”</p><p>“This one isn’t even that bad! And yeah, okay, maybe I <i>was</i> exaggerating just a bit, but this one is <i>true</i>.”</p><p>“I still don’t know…”</p><p>“Lance, just because Keith is almost as pale as snow and lived out in the desert without anyone else around doesn’t make him a vampire <i>or</i> a cowboy,” Pidge says, adjusting her glasses and giving Lance a deadpan look.</p><p>“Jeez, you’re on his side now? So much for thinking you guys were my friends.” Lance huffs, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms with a pout. He can be so childish.</p><p>“Lance, buddy, just because we don’t think Keith is a vampire cowboy doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.”</p><p>“Not if you’re choosing my rival over me! How can a <i>real friend</i> do something like that?”</p><p>“Why are you so adamant about the rival thing? I don’t even remember seeing you at the Garrison! How could we be rivals if I didn’t know you existed?” Keith calls angrily, leveling a mild glare at what he could see of Lance’s face.</p><p>“I still don’t believe that! What’s next, you’re going to cradle me in your arms after I shoot off some Galra dude’s arm? Are you going to fight an evil clone of Shiro that’s being controlled by some witch? Or maybe you’ll find a hidden planet of Alteans that are being harvested for quintessence—wouldn’t that be a shock! What’s next Keith, huh?” Lance shouts back at him, pointing an accusing finger in his face, reaching around Pidge to do so.</p><p>“Lance, you don’t make any sense! How would any of that happen? I mean, we’ve been in this castle for, like, two days and you’re already planning out all these elaborate sci-fi adventures for us to do. We’re not in a tv show—you know that right?”</p><p>“Yes I know that! I’m just saying that it <i>could happen</i> because you’re definitely <i>not</i> fully human! And I guess I’m the only one that can see it, because <i>everybody else</i> is apparently <i>blind</i>!”</p><p>“Hey, guys, can we not-” Shiro tries but is cut off by Keith as the two men completely ignore him.</p><p>“You’re spouting literal nonsense! How can you say any of that and think it’ll <i>actually</i> come true? You sound like Coran talking about some weird ancient creature that nobody else knows exists!”</p><p>“Keith, come on-” Shiro tries again, only to be interrupted by Coran this time.</p><p>“Hey! You leave weird ancient creatures out of this!” Coran calls, standing from his chair and pointing towards the both of them. Lance and Keith stand up and angrily face each other.</p><p>“Lo siento this absolute <i>tonto</i> insulted something you are very knowledgeable about, Coran! I’m so glad I wasn’t that <i>perdedor</i>!” Steam is nearly pouring out of Keith’s ears at this point, and he knows just how to push Lance off the edge.</p><p>“I hope you know that <i>nobody else</i> here knows what you’re saying! Whether it’s in English or Spanish, you talk so much nonsense that nobody can differentiate the two! Half the time it doesn’t sound like actual words are coming out of your mouth!” Lance’s face goes red and Keith thinks he might have actually broken him.</p><p>“Why you little-” Lance shouts as he tries to lunge towards Keith, over the top of Pidge still between them.</p><p>Thankfully, Hunk manages to hold Lance back while Shiro restrains Keith. After a minute or so of useless struggling, both Keith and Lance are allowed to be let go of. They both storm off in opposite directions heading toward their rooms. Shiro sighs heavily as he sits back down at the table, appetite long gone.</p><p>“When will those two learn how to make a good team?” He shakes his head in defeat as the others offer pitiful looks. And for the record—Keith is <i>not</i> a <i>vampire cowboy</i>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lance headcanon: when angry or just arguing in general, he tends to start speaking in Spanish—either partially or fully XD</p><p>I hope you enjoyed that and didn’t take it too seriously, but you’d better be ready for some <i>real</i> anger soon...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Crowds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Anger.</b> The period is included with that, and I think it just seals the deal, honestly.</p><p>I’m kinda proud at how this turned out and won’t keep you any longer. This chapter contains characters from My Hero Academia :))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Midoriya was <i>fed up</i> with Bakugou. Absolutely, unmistakably, downright <i>enraged</i> at the way Bakugou was acting, not only towards him, but also towards his friends.</p><p>The blond had started out the day in a worse mood than usual, for a reason nobody could pry from him. All anyone received were deadly glares and short, snapped answers. So when Bakugou goes after Midoriya, something inside him just <i>snaps</i>.</p><p>“You’re just a stupid, useless, <i>Deku</i>, and you’ll <i>never</i> be a good hero,” Bakugou growls after Midoriya tries to approach him when walking back towards the dorms after the school day has come to a close. They’re standing in the middle of the path with people all around them and Midoriya just <i>cracks</i>.</p><p>“Oh, you want to talk about heros? Is that what you <i>really</i> want to talk about, Kacchan?” His tone comes as a surprise to those around him, the pure <i>rage</i> dripping from each word, every nerve in Midoriya’s body lit up in burning flames that just propel him forward.</p><p>Bakugou’s eyes are slightly wide when they turn to fully look at Midoriya who is glaring <i>daggers</i> at him. “What the hell are you on about, Deku? The fuck is your problem?”</p><p>Midoriya can feel himself almost laughing. So he allows himself to let go of the reigns and simply do whatever he feels is right in the moment. And he cackles—he laughs so loudly and so intensely that he doubles over, clutching his stomach with one hand and resting the other on his knee. He doesn’t stop laughing until he can feel tears pricking at his eyes and he looks up to see Bakugou’s eyes widened in confused shock.</p><p>“What am <i>I</i> on about? What’s <i>my</i> problem?” Midoriya asks innocently, standing up straight and wiping at his eyes with the remnants of a smile on his face.</p><p>He doesn’t allow Bakugou to answer before he’s stepping forward and grabbing his shirt, pulling them chest-to-chest and staring through him, expression going from light to insanely intense and serious in a moment. “I’m not the one that’s been acting like an absolute <i>asshat</i> all day! Do you even realize what kind of <i>bullshit</i> comes out of your mouth? What absolute <i>horse shit</i> you spew <i>every single fucking day</i>?”</p><p>“Deku, what-” Bakugou starts, hands raising to where Midoriya is clutching his shirt. People around them are staring in shock, nobody can seem to move a muscle or make a sound.</p><p>“No, Kacchan, you get to <i>shut the fuck up</i> for once in your goddamn life. I’m the one speaking now.” Midoriya releases Bakugou’s shirt with a shove, pushing Bakugou back a few steps. Bakugou just stares at him.</p><p>“I’ve had to deal with your anger issues and bullying for <i>years</i>, and now you get to deal with the aftermath. So I suggest you stand there and keep fucking quiet until I’m done.” Silence and stiff postures meet him and he doesn’t waste a moment.</p><p>“You are a <i>terrible</i> fucking friend. No, you’re not even a friend—you’re just a fucking bully to anyone that tries to get within a fucking <i>kilometer</i> of you. And you know it. You fucking know it, too, but you do it anyways. You push people away because you’re <i>scared</i>. You’re scared of what will happen if they get too close.”</p><p>“I’m not scared-” Midoriya is on him in a second, as soon as the words leave Bakugou’s mouth, Midoriya is in his face and yanking his head down by his hair so he can growl in his ear.</p><p>“I thought I told you to fucking shut up and <i>listen</i>.” He releases Bakugou again and watches as the man clutches his head where Midoriya had forced him down, backing up a step with eyes blown wide.</p><p>“Do you know why I never said anything about this before? Because I <i>knew</i> how you acted and <i>pitied</i> you. Sure, I wanted to be your friend because I looked up to your strength, but I also pitied how fucking <i>alone</i> you always were. I stayed close to you because I knew <i>nobody else wanted to</i>. Nobody else wants to be around you because you’re such a <i>dick</i> to them. And you can’t seem to see that from on top of your fucking <i>ego</i>.”</p><p>“Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina, and Sero are <i>trying</i> to be your friends—Kirishima <i>especially</i>—and this is the shit you pull? You force them away because of your own cowardice? And you have the absolute <i>audacity</i> to think you’re going to be the <i>Number One Hero</i>?” Midoriya has taken to slowly advancing on Bakugou, causing the other man to back up. This ends when his knees hit the edge of a bench and he falls backwards, sitting down on its surface with a <i>thud</i>.</p><p>“I cannot <i>believe</i> how far up your own ass your head seems to be that all you know how to spew out of your mouth is <i>shit</i>. Maybe one day you’ll learn that, hey, the world <i>doesn’t revolve around you</i> and you’ll have to finally <i>get over yourself</i>. But until that day comes, you’ll continue to force everyone around you to suffer for your own sake.” Midoriya has one hand on either side of Bakugou, leaning over the bench and getting in his face as he tries to lean back and away from him.</p><p>“You absolutely fucking <i>disgust</i> me with how you seem to think you can treat others. Just because you think you're superior than everyone—just because you think you're hot shit—doesn’t mean you are. In the end you’re just a scared, cowardly, little <i>bitch</i> that needs to either shape the fuck up or get the fuck out. I think I speak for everyone when I say that.” With that, Midoriya levels Bakugou with one more terrifying glare that seems to slice right through the frightened blond before standing up and stalking away.</p><p>“Iida, Ochako, we’re leaving,” Midoriya calls over his shoulder towards the frozen friends, not bothering to turn and look towards them. They quickly scamper off behind him as the crowd that had started to gather just continues to stand there in shock.</p><p>On the rest of the walk back to the dorms, Midoriya can’t help but feel so much <i>lighter</i> than he had in years. It’s like a weight that he’d come to normalize had finally been lifted off of him and he could breath so much easier. Midoriya wanted to become a hero that could save everyone and sometimes lecturing and publicly shaming your childhood friend to snap them out of whatever spell they’re under is a just tactic you have to use.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m not sorry, like, at all XD I love Bakugou, but I want to just <i>beat the shit out of him</i> at the same time. He’s an amazing character with incredible development, but until either Midoriya or myself put him in his place, there will always be something about him that angers me.</p><p>But anyways, I hope you liked the chapter and didn’t think they were <i>too</i> ooc. I kinda wanted Midoriya to just completely <i>snap</i> so he had to have already been ooc in order for that to happen. I just hope the execution was decent XD</p><p>(Edit: I found out why Bakugou makes me so angry!! It’s because he’s my second highest kin and I see so much of myself in his character!!! Isn't that just fantastic?!?)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Parking Lot Release</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter’s prompt is <b>Ma’am, This Is A Wendy’s</b> and I thought that a little chaos was necessary—even though the chapter is the shortest yet and is kinda dumb.</p><p>Anyways, this chapter contains very very tired HxH characters.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kurapika hates his job. Like, <i>seriously</i> hates his job. The only good thing about it is his one (1) good coworker, Melody—everything else sucks <i>hard</i>. Especially rude customers.</p><p>“Ma’am, I need you to calm down-” Kurapika gets in before the red faced woman cuts him off with a disgusted look.</p><p>“Excuse me, that’s no way to speak to a customer! Haven’t you ever heard the saying that the customer is always right? Jeez, kids these days with their disrespect!” She snaps, glaring at his bored expression.</p><p>“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we cannot remake your hamburger because it wasn’t warm enough. There is nothing I can do for you,” Kurapika deadpans, his face not changing a bit as he speaks. The woman, however, only seems to grow angrier.</p><p>“How dare you! My children are hungry and I <i>demand</i> that you remake their food to their liking!” She insists. Her two children—who are very much embarrassed and shrunk in on themselves to escape the situation—look up at Kurapika apologetically. They can’t be more than ten years old.</p><p>“Mom, it’s fine, really. Can we please just eat and leave?” The taller of the two begs, trying to draw her attention.</p><p>“No, Tyler, you said that your burger was cold. Now tell this lady how you like your food.” Kurapika can feel steam building up inside of him, threatening to spill out of his ears like a cartoon character. He <i>knew</i> this woman just misgendered him on purpose for the sole reason of getting a rise out of him, and he’s about ready to leap over the counter and throttle her. It might cost him his job and time in jail, but at least he wouldn’t have to pretend to not be affected any longer.</p><p>“Mom, <i>please</i>, I just want to eat the food we already have. I don’t want a new hamburger. And he’s a <i>boy</i>,” the child—Tyler, apparently—replies, a pleading look meeting the stern glare of his mother.</p><p>“Tyler! You said that your food was cold, and now you’re saying it doesn’t matter? Just tell this worker what you want!”</p><p>“Mommy, you’re being too loud. You need to use your inside voice,” the younger child lectures, taking her mother’s hand and looking up at her innocently. Kurapika has never been more fond of a child than he does at this very moment.</p><p>“Excuse me, ma’am, but if you’re not going to order something, you’re holding up the line of customers behind you,” Kurapika comments after a few moments of the woman simply looking down at her daughter in shock.</p><p>“I- What? No, we’re going to order something. Tyler, tell this <i>boy</i> what you want,” the woman says, attitude snapping back into place as she looks from her son to Kurapika. At least she isn’t shouting anymore.</p><p>“I want to go home!” Tyler shouts, finally snapping at his mother. He turns and storms back to where they had been sitting and everyone just silently watches him go.</p><p>There’s a chance he’ll get in trouble with his mother later, but in the moment, the little girl pulls her mother behind her as she follows her brother. They gather their supplies and their mother stumbles after them as they leave. The restaurant stays quiet for another few moments.</p><p>“Kurapika? Are you okay?” Melody asks, coming up behind him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Yeah, I think so.”</p><p>“I’m sorry I couldn’t come help you, I was working the drive-through. I think it’s time for your break right now, do you need some air to cool down?” Kurapika truly thanks every lucky star in the sky that someone like Melody exists—especially in moments like this one.</p><p>Kurapika gives her a small smile and moves from behind the counter, disappearing into the back and out the door. He walks towards his car and steps into the vehicle, locking it as soon as the door closes. Then, he releases a shriek that could shatter eardrums.</p><p>It’s a loud, guttorial shriek that one can only feel when dealing with Karen customers and finding out that the grocery store isn’t selling the teriyaki stir fry cup of noodles anymore. Other than that, there isn’t a way to truly unleash the same shriek Kurapika is currently unloading to his empty car. If this keeps up, who knows how many more of these shrieks Kurapika will endure in the remaining eight hours of his twelve hour shift. Thankfully Melody is scheduled the same shift.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>See, I told you it was short! It’s not even 1k words (which is the minimum number of words I set for myself), but I thought that it would be fine just this once—seeing as we had 8.3k words and 7.6k words back to back a little bit ago.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Karma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt is <b>Blood/Gore</b>, which serves as its own tw. And I didn’t really go into too much depth, the words just <i>weren’t flowing</i> which is super freaking annoying. But it’s not bc of the fandom, I’m so obsessed with this anime, I binged it in a week (considering I have to juggle school, family, and everything else, that’s a decent amount of time).</p><p>But without further ado, this chapter contains characters from Assassination Classroom!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’s dead. Karma’s dead. Akabane Karma is <i>dead</i>.</p><p>Karma’s body is falling through the air—countless bullet holes riddling his torso—as if in slow motion. His face has clear shock on it, unbelieving to his fate. The light of life in his eyes flickers out before he even hits the ground, the soft <i>thud</i> his body makes as it hits the hard ground echos around the silent room.</p><p>How could this have happened? They’d been doing so well—Karma even defeated the assassin Grip and tormented him with spices in his nose and mouth—so what changed to make this possible? What could have possibly led to his death? <i>How did this happen?</i></p><p>They were following Koro-sensei’s instructions in running around the theater room Gastro trapped them in, trying to confuse the man so he couldn’t shoot any of them. Obviously, that had backfired on them. Whether out of desperation or something else, he had opened fire on one spot, peppering Karma’s frame with wounds, blood leaking onto the ground around him and creating a pool of red. And there’s nothing anyone can do to reverse it.</p><p>With Koro-sensei trapped in his defense form—unable to return to normal without risking the safety of the other students in the room—and Karasuma still impaired by Smog’s gas, the students can only watch in horror. They can’t seem to move, or even breathe properly. It’s like the world has frozen and everything has come to a screeching halt.</p><p>Spiderweb cracks form in Nagisa’s heart, close to shattering it; one final chip and it would all be over. He’s frozen with the rest of the students and has yet to take a breath without the rise and fall of Karma’s chest. It just seems <i>wrong</i>. Everything is <i>wrong</i>. <i>How could everything have gone so wrong?</i></p><p>And that final chip comes from Gastro, the man mumbling to himself like nothing out of the ordinary happened. Like this was an everyday occurrence for him. Like he didn’t just <i>murder a child</i>.</p><p>And Nagisa’s heart <i>shatters</i>. He hadn’t been as close to Karma as he once had been, and he knew that there was a large gap in their skills that he may never reach, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were <i>friends</i>—that Gastro had <i>killed his friend</i> and then acted as if it <i>hadn’t happened</i>. But it had, and now he has to deal with the consequences.</p><p>Koro-sensei has yet to say a word, but he doesn’t need to for them to understand his thoughts. He’s turned black in his defense form, fuming with silent rage. And Nagisa intends to act on that rage for him—to use the emotions swirling around the room silently to get back at the man that caused them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah... it’s short. I just couldn’t put the words together to finish it in a satisfying way, so I decided ‘fuck it’ and just ended it there. I hope you still liked it? Also, I can’t even <i>begin</i> to explain how much I love Nagisa, especially when he snaps. It’s just so wonderful and I adore him completely :)</p><p>(PS- this is based on the island arc, if that wasn’t clear XD idk how it looks to a readers perspective so hopefully you picked that up)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Grace Field Runaways</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Social Media</b>!</p><p>The words felt <i>much</i> better in this chapter and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I think the ending could be a bit stronger, but otherwise I’m satisfied. And don’t worry, this chapter is 1.2k words XD</p><p>This chapter contains characters from The Promised Neverland (my very favorite anime and the first manga I ever finished ^.^)!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They blew up online. The little band they created as a hobby had grown immensely overnight. What once had ten thousand followers on Instagram and Youtube shot up to just over a million followers on each. How that happened, they had no idea. For Ray, Emma, Norman, Gilda, and Don this was completely unexpected.</p><p>Norman was able to easily find where the cause of this outburst came from, and it turns out that the son of two famous music producers had posted a video of himself listening to their song ‘Touch Off’ and praising them. Oliver, someone all five already happened to be following on their band account, was praising their music—the son of the founders of Hideout Records, Yuugo and Lucas. Their disbelief was evident and they immediately set to responding to the video.</p><p>“What are we supposed to say? Don and Gilda are busy with work—we were barely able to call and tell them,” Emma calls, pacing the living room in their apartment with her hands raised above her head.</p><p>“They said we could deal with it ourselves. And we could—I don’t know—maybe start with ‘thank you’?” Ray comments, rolling his eyes from the couch where he’s slouched.</p><p>“You know what I mean!” Emma snaps back, sending him a weak glare before turning the other way and resuming her pacing.</p><p>“Why don’t we start with a simple video saying ‘thank you’ and go from there? We can post it on our Instagram story before messaging him about it and directly saying thank you. After that, we can get brunch and possibly make a video for our Youtube to welcome all those new followers. Does that sound good?” Norman asks, looking between them. Emma beams as Ray just smirks at him.</p><p>“Norman, you’re a genius! That’s one of the reasons we keep you around!” Emma shouts, bouncing over and gathering him up in a hug. As Norman blushes, Ray’s smirk only grows and becomes knowing as the two men make eye contact.</p><p>When Emma pulls away, she turns to Ray and hauls him to his feet, tossing his phone onto the couch along with hers before turning back to Norman with a wide smile. “Well? What are you guys waiting for? Let’s go!”</p><p>Both men chuckle at the girl before shuffling towards the office in the apartment that also serves as their video room—the apartment is a medium sized two bedroom with an office and balcony. The two men share a room while Emma scored a room to herself being the only girl. The apartment is also a blend of modern and traditional, with the exposed beams in the ceiling and the built in bookshelves and fireplace in the living room while also having an open concept in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Norman, being the most practical, was the one to decorate the apartment.</p><p>Because Norman decorated the apartment, there’s a reason and purpose for nearly everything. Being the vases for all the different flowers Emma decides to purchase and the large couch and hundreds of books neatly tucked in the shelves for Ray. Norman takes pride in knowing his band mates—and best friends—through and through.</p><p>As they move to the office, Emma flicks on the fairy lights along the back wall instead of the overhead light. Norman grabs the stand from the corner and sets his phone up as Ray moves to make sure the space is clean enough for the video. Everyone is done with their task in a few short moments before they’re squeezing into frame on Norman’s phone camera. Emma is in the middle, in front of the two men that stand shoulder-to-shoulder behind her. Ray leans his arm on her head as he uses the other one to start the video.</p><p>“Hey guys! So, there’s something we need to address! I think you know what it is, but if not, we’ll tell you anyways!” Emma starts after the three second countdown, smiling widely and waving at the camera slightly.</p><p>“Yesterday, we got a big amount of new followers—about ninety thousand new people—and we just wanted to welcome you!” Norman adds, smiling sweetly.</p><p>“We also wanted to thank Oliver—who will be tagged so you can check out his account—for either accidentally or purposefully giving us a sort of shoutout. I’m pretty sure that’s where you all came from,” Ray says, tone bored as it always is.</p><p>“Yeah! He was super cool!” Emma claps her hands together once before continuing. “We didn’t even know he listened to our music! It was really surprising!”</p><p>“Since a bunch of you are new, we should introduce ourselves. We’re the band ‘Grace Field Runaways’! My name is Norman, and I’m the guitarist.”</p><p>“I’m Ray, the bass guitarist.”</p><p>“And I’m Emma! I’m the lead singer. We have two other band members, Don and Gilda, who play drums and keyboard. They’re busy right now, but they’re just as excited as we are!”</p><p>“That’s all we really wanted to say, but we plan on uploading an introductory video on us—a newer, more recent one at least—to our Youtube if you want to learn more about us. Once again, thank you Oliver and everyone who joined the Runaways!” Norman finishes before they’re all waving at the camera and Ray is stopping the video.</p><p>~</p><p>After they posted the video and Norman messaged Oliver to personally thank him, the trio had decided to get brunch at their favorite diner just down the street from their apartment building. Inside, they are seated by their favorite waitress, Anna, and promptly given tall glasses of ice water. Anna made sure to give Ray his signature black coffee before going to help another table.</p><p>“Oh! But what if we get recognised now! Since we’re so popular!” Emma calls, throwing her hands above her head as Norman smiles warmly at her. Ray simply rolls his eyes.</p><p>“Emma, there’s not a high chance of that happening—even with the jump in followers. And we’ve only had a million followers for however many hours, so you really shouldn’t get your hopes up,” Ray says, as he raises his coffee cup to his lips.</p><p>“Ray! Don’t be so mean!” Emma pouts and Norman chuckles at them.</p><p>“Sorry Emma, but it’s true. Unfortunately, we also don’t live in the most populated place either, which only decreases the probability of getting recognised in public. But look on the bright side—at least we don’t have to wear masks or disguises if we want to leave our apartment,” Norman reassures, giving Emma another of his soft smiles.</p><p>Emma beams back. “Yeah, I guess you’re right! I can’t imagine ever being so popular that we have to wear hats or masks everywhere.”</p><p>“Besides, I thought you said when we started this band that it wasn’t about being recognised or how many followers we have, so long as we get to create what we love. Did you change your mind?” Ray asks, a teasing gleam in his bored eyes. Emma sets a determined look on her face as she stares back at the man across from her.</p><p>“I’d drop every single follower in a heartbeat if it meant creating something I was proud of. There is no feeling better than being proud of yourself and your friends—even if nobody else can see it.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What did you think of the end? Was it strong enough? Was it cut short? I’d love to hear all your thoughts! :))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Savior</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Bruises</b>! There is mentions of blood and bullying, which may trigger someone, so please be cautious.</p><p>Otherwise, this chapter contains characters from Haikyuu!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tsukishima gently tilts Yamaguchi’s chin up to get a better look at his face and the evidence of a fight left across his skin. Tsukishima delicately thumbs away the streak of blood by Yamaguchi’s mouth, saying nothing as he examines it. After a brief pause, Yamaguchi’s heart skips a nervous beat as Tsukishima looks him dead in the eyes. His voice is quiet and tense, his anger <i>barely</i> contained.</p><p>“Who did this to you?”</p><p>Yamaguchi trembles as his eyes start welling with tears, the dam that had been building up all the way to Tsukishima’s front porch where they now stand finally bursting. And Tsukishima doesn’t waste a second in pulling him in tightly, gathering Yamaguchi in his arms and simply holding him while he lets out painful sobs that shake his whole frame. Yamaguchi is clutching onto Tsukishima’s sweatshirt like a lifeline at sea, and they stay like that for a lifetime of minutes.</p><p>Tsukishima takes to lightly stroking Yamaguchi’s hair as his other hand rubs small circles on his back. Both are meant to soothe but only succeed in drawing out louder wails as Yamaguchi buries his head in Tsukishima’s sweatshirt. If the blond cares, though, about the salt water being soaked up, he doesn’t say so. Instead, he simply allows Yamaguchi to cry as he pleases.</p><p>Finally, after what feels like much longer than the maybe ten minutes it lasted, Yamaguchi’s sobs lessen into mere sniffles and he pulls away from Tsukishima with a guilty look, completely retracting himself from Tsukishima’s warm body heat and soft touches.</p><p>“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… to cry like that,” Yamaguchi says, wiping at his nose while staring at the porch between their feet instead of the golden brown eyes searching for his.</p><p>“Yama… Tadashi, look at me.” Yamaguchi’s heart nearly skips a beat at Tsukishima’s use of his first name and the way he uses his hand to once again lift his head up.</p><p>The porch light shines down on them and casts a warm yellow glow to Tsukishima’s already golden hair and eyes, making them only that much more rich. The light reflects off of his glasses and his lips are slightly parted, eyebrows furrowed as he inspects Yamaguchi once more.</p><p>“Tsukki, I…” Yamaguchi says, trailing off when Tsukishima’s eyes stare intensely into his, searching for something. It takes all of Yamaguchi’s willpower to stay put and not break out of the man’s hold on his chin.</p><p>“Tadashi, tell me the truth. Who did this to you?” He repeats, eyes still focused on him.</p><p>Yamaguchi opens his mouth to answer and, for a moment, nothing comes out. Then, when Tsukishima brushes his thumb against his jaw, he’s able to find his voice again. “Just… just a little disagreement. Nothing big.”</p><p>Tsukishima doesn’t say anything, he just continues staring. For as many years as it’s been that they’ve known each other and become friends—from elementary school until now—Yamaguchi knew he’d get caught in the lie easily. He knew that Tsukishima would see right through him and demand the truth from him. He just didn’t expect it to happen silently, all communication happening in their eyes.</p><p>“... Bullies. From down the street. They attacked me and I didn’t fight back,” Yamaguchi finally confesses, finally breaking from Tsukishima’s grip and feeling a new wave of tears well in his eyes.</p><p>“Do you know which houses specifically?” This time, when Yamaguchi shakes his head ‘no’ it isn’t a lie. He only knows that they tend to gather outside the second house to the corner—only two away from his own house and two streets away from Tsukishima’s.</p><p>“They hang out in front of the white house next to the corner house. I don’t know if it’s their house or not, and I don’t know their names. Please don’t do anything because of me.” The last part comes out as a plea as Yamaguchi looks up at Tsukishima and grabs onto his arm.</p><p>“Tadashi, there is nothing to worry about.” Tsukishima once again pulls Yamaguchi into a tight hug, but it isn’t as tender as the previous one—Yamaguchi knows that Tsukishima avoided a straight answer on purpose.</p><p>“Tsukki… Tsukki, please promise me you won’t do anything. I can fight for myself.”</p><p>“Tadashi, you said yourself that you didn’t fight back. How can you fight for yourself if you don’t even protect yourself?” The words slice right through Yamaguchi and leave him feeling bare.</p><p>Tsukishima sighs as Yamaguchi breaks eye contact. “Come on… let’s go inside. My mom can help clean you up.”</p><p>Yamaguchi nods and allows Tsukishima to pull him by his jacket sleeve, stepping into the warm home and down the hall after both men take their shoes off. Tsukishima leads him into the kitchen where Tsukishima’s mother is sitting at the table, reading a book. She looks up when she hears them enter and offers them a smile. That is, until she sees Yamaguchi.</p><p>In an instant, she’s closing her book and standing from the table, walking towards him with a serious expression. She steps around her son and grabs onto Yamaguchi’s shoulders, gently pulling him down to her level. She silently inspects him with critical eyes, cupping his face in her hands.</p><p>“Oh Tadashi, what did you get yourself into now? Come on, I have a first aid kit in the bathroom,” she finally says, her voice soft like it might scare Yamaguchi off if it were too loud. She turns and leads them both deeper into the home, flicking on the bathroom light after entering and going to find something in a cabinet.</p><p>“Tsukishima-san, I can do it myself,” Yamaguchi tries after the woman stands again, a red box in her hand. She shakes her head and instructs him to sit on the toilet, which he does with a sigh.</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me anything; just hold still so I can help you,” she says, a soft smile on her lips as she steps closer to him with a damp washcloth. He nods and closes his eyes for her. He’s glad he met Tsukishima on a day like this one, after the man saved him from bullies for the very first time. He just hopes they don’t have to repeat history a third time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m not sorry. Like, if that was sad, I don’t feel bad for writing it XD Does that make me a bad person? Well, either way, it doesn’t really matter to me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Slap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Tears</b>! It strays away from tears a bit, but that’s because I tend to deal with anger more than sadness—there’s just something about me that says ‘crying?? We don’t know her’ and I just get angry instead. And that’s on what? Kinning Bakugou (along with countless other characters that is very concerning to my mental state), babe!</p><p>Anyways, this chapter contains characters from My Hero Academia! And no, this doesn’t include my OC :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Izuku had been spending less and less time with Ochako. He’d stop kissing her or cuddling her, going as far as to reschedule dates and study sessions. They’d been dating for a year and a half, and Ochako had never felt like they had gone back to simply being friends until now, and she felt more lonely than she ever had before.</p><p>Each time she tried to bring it up, Izuku would get panicky and dismissive, and Ochako couldn’t figure out why. What had she done wrong to cause him to pull away like that? How could she get him to open up to her without getting brushed off again? Is there any way to mend what’s started to wear down? Was there anything she could do to fix things? Ochako doesn’t want it to end yet, but she isn’t sure how to move forward.</p><p>When Ochako brought this up to the other 3-A girls, they didn’t have much to say. They gave her possible solutions and things to try, but ultimately, Ochako left feeling no better than she had before. She contemplated talking to Todoroki or Iida about it but decided against it in the end. This is just something she’ll have to figure out for herself.</p><p>A week later, an idea struck Ochako after classes for the day had finished. Since Izuku had cancelled their date for the third week in a row and Ochako was growing more desperate by the day, she decided to surprise him. She thought back to their first date and decided to replicate it—hauling blankets, pillows, snacks, and one of Jirou’s speakers up to the dorm roof after dinner had concluded. Ochako checked the weather and made sure that the chance for rain was less than twenty percent, confirming it was firmly set at ten percent.</p><p>Then, she went to the man’s room to retrieve him. Taking the elevator up to his floor, she happily skips over to his door and let herself in. They always just let each other in, the thought of knocking didn’t even cross her mind.</p><p>“Sur-” she starts as she bursts in with a wide smile. Then her eyes land on the two men heatedly kissing on Izuku’s bed. Suddenly, she wishes she would have knocked.</p><p>Izuku and Bakugou are laying on Izuku’s bed, Bakugou’s hands on Izuku’s bare chest as Izuku clutches one hand in Bakugou’s hair and the other onto the bed sheets beneath himself. One of Bakugou’s legs is between Izuku’s and Ochako can practically see the hot puffs of air leaving them both from how intensely they’re kissing. Their eyes are closed and they’re too engrossed in each other to even notice Ochako’s arrival. A white hot rod of hurt imbeds itself in Ochako’s chest and she can feel her heart shatter from the impact.</p><p>“Izuku?” She asks quietly, hoping it’s all a dream and that she just accidentally fell asleep in her room. But the wild look in Izuku’s eyes as they fall upon her leaves her knowing—without a sliver of a doubt—that this is very much real.</p><p>“Ochako?” Izuku asks, scrambling off the bed and towards her.</p><p>Ochako takes a step back as Izuku takes a step forward, his hands raised in surrender. Ochako can feel tears stinging her eyes as she takes a second step backwards towards the door.</p><p>“Ochako, we can talk about this-” Izuku says, following her and reaching out to grab her arm. She rips her arm away, eyes releasing the first of their many tears.</p><p>“Don’t- Don’t touch me. Stay…” Ochako’s voice cuts off in a choke. She swallows thickly before being able to continue. “Stay away from me.”</p><p>With that, she turns and runs off, heading for the stairs instead of the elevator, and ignoring the shouts behind her. Her feet pound loudly upon the stairs, almost as quickly as her heart races in her chest. She can feel tears on her cheeks, but she ignores them, focusing on getting to the safety of her room.</p><p>As soon as she reaches the fourth floor, she shoves the door open with a loud crash and sprints to her room. That door slams open a moment before slamming shut and being locked. Ochako dives into her bed and releases a bloodcurdling scream into her pillow, the sobs that follow shaking her entire body. Why would Izuku—<i>Deku</i>—do that to her? What had she done to deserve this? What could have possibly led to this turn of events?</p><p>A minute later, a quiet knock accompanied with a soft ‘Ochako?’ calls out and Ochako can’t help but feel <i>frustrated</i> at the man on the other side of her dorm door. Can‘t she have a single moment to herself to let everything out without having to face anything yet. But of course, when a second knock calls out, she isn’t granted that luxury.</p><p>“Ochako? I know you’re in there…” Deku asks, and Ochako allows that frustration to grow and morph. In her first act, she picks up her pillow and harshly throws it at the door, hitting it with a soft <i>thud</i>.</p><p>“Go away!” She shouts, standing up and going to retrieve her pillow. She picks it up and throws it back towards her bed.</p><p>“Ochako, please, just hear me out!” Izuku calls through the door, the quiet sound of his hand pressing against the wooden surface.</p><p>“Why the <i>fuck</i> should I listen to you?” Ochako yells back, fists slamming against the other side. Yeah, rage is <i>definitely</i> the right option here.</p><p>“I know what it looked like, but please just let me explain.” Whether out of rage or something else, Ochako throws the door open, much to Izuku’s surprise. He’s standing there, still shirtless, with Bakugou and a few others behind him. Ochako couldn’t care less about their presence.</p><p>“Explain what, Deku? Explain that I walked in on you <i>making out</i> with <i>Bakugou</i> of all people?” She shouts, as Izuku takes a step back out of shock. His eyes blow wide and Ochako can see the panic in his eyes, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t <i>care</i> how he feels.</p><p>“Ochako, I-”</p><p>“You what? You’re going to tell me that it ‘wasn’t what it looked like’? That I’m crazy, or… or that I don’t know what I saw? What, Deku?”</p><p>“Ochako, please, lower your voice. Can’t we just talk about this in private?” Deku sends a nervous glance towards all the other people gathered and Ochako growls in anger.</p><p>“No, Deku. I’m not going to give you that fucking liberty. Let everyone in this <i>god forsaken</i> school know what a cheating <i>rat</i> you truly are. I don’t fucking care anymore.”</p><p>A flash of hurt passes through Deku’s eyes before a cold frustration takes over. He’s no longer trying to calm her down, now standing at his full height and looking directly at her, matching her glare.</p><p>“Fine. What do you want me to say, Ochako? That I kissed Kacchan without you knowing? That I was cancelling all our dates to secretly meet up with Kacchan? That I haven’t been in love with you since the end of second year?” Ochako barely hears the last word that comes out of Deku’s mouth, instead noticing how her vision goes completely red and hearing the loud <i>slap</i> of a hand against skin.</p><p>A moment later, when rationality comes back to her enough to notice that she had, in fact, been the one to slap Deku’s right cheek hard enough to snap his head to the left and leave his face red. Her palm stings slightly as venom coats her voice. “How fucking <i>dare</i> you talk to me that way.”</p><p>It’s silent around them, not a soul speaking out against her as Deku doesn’t move his head from where it was forced. He just stares at the ground, face in complete shock at what had just happened. All anger seems to have melted out of him in that moment, yet Ochako isn’t quite finished yet.</p><p>“I have been trying my absolute <i>hardest</i> for this fucking relationship since the very beginning—especially recently. I was the one to ask you out, to plan most of our dates, to tell you that I <i>loved</i> you. And you know what? I haven’t been perfect—not even close—but at least I was <i>trying</i>. Is that more than you can say?” Ochako’s voice is quiet, but seething in absolute <i>rage</i>.</p><p>“Do you want to know why I even went to your room today—why I found you?” She pauses for a moment, not expecting or truly waiting for a reply. “It was because I had set up a surprise date for us. I wanted to surprise you because you’ve been working extremely hard at training your Quirk and studying for midterms. I wanted to help you take your mind off of all of that and thought that, by going back to the beginning and setting up a star gazing date on the dorm roof, that I could <i>help</i> you. And what, exactly, did that get me?”</p><p>Deku finally speaks, his eyes still glued to the ground as he speaks in a tone just barely louder than a whisper. “You found me cheating on you.”</p><p>“I found you <i>cheating</i> on me. With your childhood bully—and don’t even <i>try</i> to tell me otherwise—nonetheless. How the fuck does that even <i>happen</i>?”</p><p>“Ochako, I didn’t mean-” Bakugou speaks up, taking a step forward and Ochako turns her death glare upon him instead.</p><p>“You don’t get to say a <i>word</i>. Who do you think you are?” Bakugou closes his mouth with an audible <i>click</i> and Ochako returns her focus to the green haired man before her.</p><p>“Tell me, Deku, what was it that made you switch from an almost two year relationship with someone who loved and cared about you <i>so much</i> to someone like,” Ochako throws a hand out, gesturing towards the silent Bakugou, “<i>that</i>?”</p><p>It takes the man another few moments to respond. “I… I think I’ve always loved him. I’m sorry, Ochako, I really am—I didn’t mean to hurt you. Truly, I never meant for this to happen.”</p><p>Deku has gone back to pleading with her, his eyes filled with so much guilt and sorrow that it cracks Ochako’s anger. It’s not enough to break her, but it’s a step in that direction.</p><p>“Why don’t you just go back to your room and pick up where you left off? Why don’t you just go <i>fuck</i> Bakugou senseless? That’s more than I’d ever get.” With that, Ochako turns and stalks back into her dorm, slamming the door behind herself.</p><p>It ended up raining that night, the weather perfectly matching Ochako’s mood. She only hopes Jirou won’t be too upset with her in the morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My new aesthetic: Ochako calling Izuku a rat.</p><p>But in all seriousness, Ochako kinda went through it this chapter. While writing this, I just kinda realized how much I <i>love</i> Ochako, like seriously—she’s just the coolest. I feel like she can take on any roll and she’s just an amazing character in general. I believe in Ochako supremacy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Whip Cream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt is <b>Roommates</b> so you <i>know</i> I had to throw in some chaotic Ochako XD I just love that girl so much, she’s such an amazing character :D</p><p>This chapter contains a bit of chaos and characters from My Hero Academia! Please enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With Iida and Tsuyu visiting their families, it was left up to Shouto, Ochako, and Izuku to take care of their shared apartment. The two most logical and level-headed out of the five roommates were gone—the two left in charge of mail and deliveries, schedules, and grocery shopping. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, apparently.</p><p>It had started out fine, really. They had made it to the grocery store and Ochako drove, meaning they listened to Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez on the way over—which was fine, Shouto didn’t mind listening to any of it, Ochako’s the reason he downloaded the songs himself. It was when they walked in that Izuku immediately ran into an angry looking blond worker. Or maybe he was just angry because Izuku ran into him? Shouto wasn’t sure, but he yelled at Izuku either way.</p><p>“Oi, you clumsy nerd, watch where you’re going!” He growled at Izuku and the green haired man had held up his hands in surrender, a panicked look in his eye as he carefully moved away.</p><p>“I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.” The worker just rolls his ruby eyes and turns back to whatever he was previously doing.</p><p>Ochako grabs a cart and they start past the man, Ochako mumbling a not-so-quiet ‘asshole’ just as they pass him. Izuku’s eyes widen in surprise and Shouto lets out a sigh as the man turns and glares at Ochako, fuming.</p><p>“What did you just call me?” He snaps at the woman, a fiery glare staring down at Ochako’s back as she takes two more steps before stopping and turning with a roll of her eyes.</p><p>“I called you an asshole. There was no reason to snap at my friend for that, so I just stated the obvious,” Ochako replies, her bored expression meeting one of anger.</p><p>“Hey! What’s going on over here? Is something the matter?” Another worker calls, jogging over and gaining Ochako’s gaze as she turns to instead look at him.</p><p>“My friend accidentally bumped into this jerk and he snapped at him. So I called him out on it,” Ochako explains to the energetic red haired man. His teeth seem too sharp to be normal. Or maybe Shouto is just thinking too hard about it.</p><p>“Ah, I’m sorry! He’s not the friendliest, so I can see where that comes from! I apologise on his behalf though!” The man says with a large smile and sheepish hand resting against the back of his neck. Ochako offers a smile of her own.</p><p>“Thank you.” The man nods and the three walk off, heading towards the first aisles.</p><p>“Uh, Ochako? You didn’t really have to do that. It was fine,” Izuku says. If this were an anime, he’d have one of those drops up by his head.</p><p>“I swear to god, I will boil your teeth if you don’t start standing up for yourself. What happens if that guy decided to get into an actual fight? What would you do?” Ochako asks, sending Izuku a skeptical look as they walk down the aisle. Shouto stops to tilt his head to the side and look at Ochako.</p><p>“Is ‘boil your teeth’ a new one? I don’t remember hearing it before,” he asks, drawing the attention to himself. The others stop too, turning towards him.</p><p>“I don’t remember using it, so I guess it’s new. But that’s not the point!” Ochako says before swiveling back towards the sweating man.</p><p>“I-I don’t know!” Ochako shakes her head at him.</p><p>“You’re like a little kitten—we always have to watch out for you. Shouto and I are adults.”</p><p>“We’re adults, but, like… adult cats. Someone should probably take care of us, but we can sort of make it on our own.”</p><p>“Fair enough. Tenya and Tsuyu are the actual adults.”</p><p>“Remember that time Izuku left an empty coffee mug in the freezer?” Shouto sends a small smirk towards the man as Ochako starts cackling.</p><p>“I was tired! I meant to put it in the sink and then grab some ice for my water bottle but ended up putting the mug in the freezer and my water bottle in the sink. Which shows how tired I was!”</p><p>“Come on, Izuku, that was funny! I can still remember the confusion Tenya had when he found it, like, a week later!” Ochako howls, hugging her stomach as laughter falls from her lips.</p><p>“Whatever! Can we just get back to <i>actually</i> getting food for the week we’ve been left alone? I don’t really want to burn through everything Tenya and Tsuyu have in the pantry for this exact situation.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure. We’ll show them how adult we can be! Come on, Shouto, let’s go find the whip cream!” Ochako calls, a wide smile on her lips as she races off with the cart.</p><p>“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Izuku mumbles before both men follow after the energetic women.</p><p>~</p><p>It took them twenty minutes to find the whip cream and Izuku nearly had a heart attack when Ochako barreled down the aisle towards a child and teenager. They moved out of the way as Ochako neared, eyes widening in surprise. Ochako whipped past, swiping two cans of whip cream into the cart before shooting out the other end of the aisle.</p><p>“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Izuku says to the two shocked people, rushing over to make sure Ochako didn’t accidentally clip them.</p><p>“No it’s… it’s fine. Just surprised us,” the teen says, blinking at Ochako where she’s turned around and entered the aisle at a regular pace before looking at Izuku.</p><p>“Bet you don’t see any old people do <i>that</i>! Only us half-adults are that cool!” Ochako calls, a wide smile on her lips.</p><p>“More like reckless. Sorry again about her,” Izuku says, sending a Look™ at Ochako before giving the child and teen a sheepish grin.</p><p>“Wow! That was so fast! My mom never lets me run in the store!” The child gasps, looking up at Ochako in amazement.</p><p>Her smile turns almost sinister as she abandons the cart and skips over to pat the child on their head. “I know, right! Good thing we’re half-adults!”</p><p>“When you grow up to be a half-adult, then you can run in the store too. Your mom can’t stop you, and nobody else except mean old people will say anything—but they’re not the boss of you, so you don’t have to listen. Unless they work at the store, then you have to listen,” Shouto comments, a thoughtful expression on his face.</p><p>“What are half-adults? You’re older than nee-san?” The child asks, looking up at the three in confusion.</p><p>Ochako laughs and ruffles their hair. “We’re in college, so we’re adults, but we’re just not that good at being adults. I think running in the store isn’t for <i>real</i> adults. And trust me, kid, you don’t wanna be a real adult. They’re boring. Who wants to be grumpy and always be worried about taxes or bills when you can run in the store and buy McDonald’s for lunch whenever you want?”</p><p>“Yeah! I love McDonald’s!”</p><p>“Me too! High five!” Their hands slap together and Ochako laughs as the child beams at her. The teen gives Ochako a smile before herding the child away and out of the aisle.</p><p>“I think you just corrupted that poor child, Ochako,” Izuku says with a shake of his head.</p><p>“Aw, you’re no fun! Now come on, we only have one item of the forty we have on our list! After we finish here, we should go play laser tag with our adult money!”</p><p>“Ochako, I don’t think-” Izuku starts frantically, waving his hands.</p><p>“I would also like to go laser tagging. I’ve never been and I hear it’s very fun,” Shouto asks and Izuku’s eyes immediately widen in horror as Ochako cheers.</p><p>“See, Izuku? Now it’s decided! Come on, ice cream is next!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hmm I wanted to continue but I didn’t really know how, so I hope that was alright.</p><p>Have you ever been grocery shopping with your friends before? I went once with my friend and her mom, and I was kinda chaotic bc my mother wasn’t there to yell at me XD I’ve also been laser tagging, and that was super fun ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Tonpa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>The Walking Dead</b>! I haven’t actually watched this show (my dad and brother were into it, but I was busy watching anime instead XD) but I hear it’s supposed to be decent. Zombies, werewolves, vampires, and all those other creatures were never really my thing (the closest I ever got was being obsessed with Monster High XD) but to each their own. Just a heads up, I know it takes longer than a few hours to binge a show :)</p><p>This chapter contains characters from HxH! Also, work skins are used in this chapter, just a heads up!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alluka had been pressuring Killua into watching some show she started, and the man wasn’t having any of it. At least he hadn’t been until Alluka threatened to tell Gon about the show.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
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<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>I have Gon’s number, don’t forget</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>Bc if I can’t get you to do something directly</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>I’m not against indirect methods</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>you’re a very mean person</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>I know</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>You love me for it 😘</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>it’s a good thing you’re so perfect bc otherwise I would dropkick you</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>I feel so loved rn</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>you really should</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I would rather give up eating another chocorobot than say I even slightly liked anyone else in our family</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>Killua...</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>I know you’re stalling</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>I’m this close 👌 to texting Gon for you</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>😤☹️</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>bully</span><br/>
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<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>😙 love you</span><br/>
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<span class="time"><b>Today </b>3:52AM</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>🐴NAE NAE KILLUA🐴</span><br/>
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<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>hey Gon?</span><br/>
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<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Yeah Killua?</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>Alluka’s been talking about this show she started</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>and she was trying to get me to watch it, but I’m not really interested</span><br/>
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<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>but if you’re interested I guess we could watch it together</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>but only if you wanted, so no pressure or anything</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Yeah man, of course!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>I’d love to watch it with you!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>What’s it called?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>it’s a zombie show called ‘The Walking Dead’</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I’m assuming you’re not against gore so it should be fine</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>at least from what Alluka’s told me</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>That sounds cool! And gore is no problem!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>It’s three now, so come over in an hour with snacks and I’ll set up a pillow fort for us to sit in while we watch</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Mito is at work and won’t be home until eleven, so it shouldn’t be a big deal if we’re loud or stay up</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>okay, I’ll tezt you in an hour when I leave</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>**text</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I’ll probably stop by Tonpa’s store, is there anything you want specifically?? Other than his nasty soda</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Nope! 😁</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>Anything you get will be perfect!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>You’re so cheesy 🙄</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Gon (ᵔᴥᵔ):</b></span>See you in an hour! 😊</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="time"><b>Just Now</b></span><br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I hope you’re happy now</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I’m going over to Gon’s in an hour to binge TWD</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>and no, you’re not invited</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>awwww 😔</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>oh well, have fun without me 😉</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>don’t send that emoji to me</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>😉😉😉</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>screw you</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="preply"><span class="hide"><b>BEST GIRL (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧: </b></span>have fun on your date with Gon 😈 😉</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I’m blocking your number</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="breply"><span class="hide"><b>Thor’s Kid Brother: </b></span>I hate you</span><br/>
<br/>
</p>
</div>Killua turns his phone off and stands from where he was resting on his bed, heading for the closet. His current outfit of sweatpants and a sweatshirt wouldn’t do—not when he was alone with Gon, that is. Maybe if he were meeting up with Alluka he wouldn’t bother to change, but Gon is a bit different than his younger sister. Either way, Killua throws open the closet doors and scans everything hanging inside.<p>After a moment, Killua grabs out a black turtleneck shirt, pulling a wool lined jean jacket out after it. He moves to his dresser and grabs out a pair of black skinny jeans, two holes right on the knees. Since the weather is getting a bit cooler, he also decides to go for a creamy beanie to cover his messy white hair.</p><p>“I’ve got…” Killua checks the time, “over thirty minutes before I have to be at Gon’s. It’ll take me a bit to sneak past Illumi and mom, but otherwise it should be fine.”</p><p>With that resolved, Killua quickly changes into his new outfit, grabbing a pair of work boots from his closet—work boots that haven’t really been used for work and were only taken on a hike when Gon dragged him along one day. He grabs his keys, wallet, and phone before swiftly exiting his room and quietly making his way out of the house.</p><p>He’s surprised when he’s able to make it all the way out without being confronted by anyone—<i>especially Illumi</i>—but wastes no time in driving off the property and towards the small corner store in town. He’ll take any easy exit he can if it ensures his timely arrival at Gon’s house.</p><p>He arrives at the corner store a few minutes later, parking on the street outside and making his way inside. The bell chimes over head and Tonpa looks up from his magazine to roll his eyes at Killua before going back to ignoring him—because we all know Tonpa doesn’t actually know how to read.</p><p>Killua wanders down one of the old, crowded aisles and grabs a few packs of sweets and small bags of chips. He then grabs himself a pack of gum and some mints for his car before making his way to the counter, dumping his things for Tonpa to ring up.</p><p>“You just missed Gon. He came in looking for batteries and talked about a sleepover thing you two were having,” Tonpa says snobbily before muttering under his breath, “Not that I really <i>asked</i>.”</p><p>“It’s not a sleepover, we’re just going to watch a tv show together. My sister recommended it and Gon was interested so we decided to watch it together,” Killua replies with an eye roll. He slaps money down on the counter for Tonpa to grab.</p><p>“I couldn’t care less, I just know you two are gross about each other. Always coming in here and talking about each other with googly eyes. I don’t want that in my store, I’d rather you two leave me alone forever. You’re both annoying.”</p><p>“Wow, gee thanks. I’ll see about coming around <i>everyday</i> after school with Gon and Ikalgo from now on.” Tonpa nearly growls at him as he slams the cash register closed and shoves his hand out towards Killua.</p><p>“Here’s your change and all your crap. Now get out before I kick you out for good.”</p><p>Killua sends Tonpa a smirk and a fake salute, grabbing his bag with his freehand as he walks backwards out of the store. “Same time next week?”</p><p>~</p><p>Killua arrived at Gon’s house right on time after sending him a text after his stop at Tonpa’s store. Soon enough, Gon was bounding out the front door to where Killua is parked in the driveway.</p><p>“Killua! You’re here!” Gon cheers, running up to him and wrapping him up in a warm hug.</p><p>“Yeah, I texted you like <i>five minutes ago</i>. Why are you so surprised?” Killua asks dismissively, patting the top of Gon’s head.</p><p>“You look so nice!” Blood rushes to Killua’s cheeks in an instant as Gon holds him from arms length and inspects him with a wide smile. “Come on, let’s go inside!”</p><p>Killua slinks behind him, climbing up the stairs towards the front door and through the entrance. He kicks his shoes off, tossing a piece of gum in his mouth and blowing a bubble as Gon sticks his tongue out at Killua for showing off—Gon has never been able to blow a bubble with gum and Killua likes to tease him about it from time to time. Killua smirks at him before forgetting about the exchange and remembering back to Tonpa’s choice of conversation.</p><p>“So, I heard you went to Tonpa’s store just before I did. What were you there for?” Killua asks, following Gon down the hallway from the front entrance.</p><p>Gon blushes lightly at him and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “We ran out of batteries and I didn’t want to redo my fort for when you got here.”</p><p>“Why did you need batteries for a pillow fort-” Killua says as they enter the living room. And then it becomes very clear why the batteries were needed.</p><p>Gon hung three pieces of fishline from one end of the room to the other, one up higher than the others. Blankets of all patterns and colors are draped over the top, creating what looks like a small house of soft coziness. Pillows just as different as the blankets are scattered across the floor to cushion the wood. The blankets back up to the wall on one side and one side is open to face the tv on the opposite wall. The batteries were used on the string lights wound around the outside of the fort, laying across the top and occasionally draping over the end of the blankets to provide a soft glow on the inside of the fort.</p><p>“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to watch it on my computer or the tv, so I left it open to see the tv. But I have more blankets to close the opening if you want to use my computer instead,” Gon says, stepping towards the fort and sweeping his hand out towards it.</p><p>“I- wow. Sorry, I just- I didn’t expect <i>this</i> when you said you were making a pillow fort.”</p><p>“What, did you think I would just grab some chairs and make some tiny fort we can barely fit into?” Gon scoffs as he says it and proudly crosses his arms over his chest. “No, only the best for us!”</p><p>“Pfft- okay then.” Killua shakes his head to stop his gaping and follows Gon into the fort.</p><p>Killua tosses his bag of snacks off to the side as he sits down in the fort, watching as Gon moves to grab a tray and his computer before going to enclose the fort. Killua adjusts the pillows under and behind himself to get more comfortable before scooting slightly towards the left to make room for Gon—as if there isn’t four feet of pillows he could’ve chosen to lay across instead of pressing <i>right up against</i> Killua. But Killua wasn’t complaining. Or blushing. He definitely <i>wasn’t</i> blushing.</p><p>~</p><p>They burned through the first season with only two interruptions—one from a random phone call on Killua’s phone and the other for a small bathroom break. They had also began burning through Killua’s snacks, opening their second pack of sweets just as the second season kicked off.</p><p>“Hey, Killua?” Gon suddenly asks, not looking away from the computer screen in his lap as he reaches blindly for the bag Killua’s holding.</p><p>“Hmm?” Killua asks, digging to find Gon a reasonable piece.</p><p>“Are you cold? I have an extra blanket in case you are…” Killua pauses, eyes flickering to where Gon is still watching his computer.</p><p>Killua swallows before answering. “No, I- I’m good right now. Actually, I think I’m a bit warm. I’m going to take my jacket off.”</p><p>Gon just nods and Killua shoves the sweet bag into his hand before quickly shimmying out of his jacket and tossing it away, towards the front of the fort. Gon’s eyes only flick over once when Killua accidentally bumps into his side, but his gaze almost immediately turns back to where the show has begun to play.<br/>“Just tell me if you do get cold, okay?” Gon asks when Killua settles back in, and Killua nods silently.</p><p>~</p><p>“Okay, I know I said that I didn’t like Rick, but after <i>that</i>, there’s just no helping it. You and Alluka are turning me into a Rick fan—and Alluka isn’t even here,” Killua says after another hour and a half of watching as Gon smiles lazily at him.</p><p>“See, I knew you couldn’t pretend to hate him forever!” Gon teases from where they’re now laying, turning as much as he can with the computer on his lap and using his arm to prop up his head.</p><p>“I didn’t <i>pretend</i> to hate him, I actually hated him.” Killua rolls his eyes as Gon sticks his tongue out at him. Killua uses this chance to flick Gon between the eyes and watch him recoil.</p><p>“Killua! That was mean!” Gon whines, rubbing the spot with his freehand, sending a weak glare towards the other boy. Killua just smirks at him.</p><p>Gon just sticks his tongue out once more before moving back to laying on his back and watching the show, eyes following Rick’s movement as he talks to Lori, who grows more and more pregnant by the episode. They’re hardly three seasons in, and have yet another seven to go before they’re all caught up.</p><p>“I know you said you were warm, but I’m getting a little cold. Is it okay if I get a blanket?” Gon asks, pausing the show and looking at Killua innocently. Killua’s heart squeezes in his chest.</p><p>“Yeah, sure, I guess. It’s your fault for wearing shorts and a tank top. Just make it quick, okay?” Gon smiles and nods, sliding the computer off of him and quickly leaving Killua alone in the pillow fort. Killua wonders what got into his heart.</p><p><i>What was that about?</i> Killua wonders as he pops a treat into his mouth, <i>I can’t remember that ever happening before, so what caused it?</i></p><p>Killua doesn’t get much farther in his investigation before Gon is back, a large comforter in his arms as he nearly trips into the fort. He beams at Killua, throwing the comforter on top of the other boy and ignoring the squawks that follow, simply laughing at him.</p><p>“What the hell was that for!” Killua calls as he digs his way out of the mess of comforter on him.</p><p>“That was for flicking me earlier. Now we’re even,” Gon declares before reaching down to help Killua untangle himself from the comforter and lay it down properly.</p><p>Gon then takes to crawling under the comforter and pressing the <i>entirety</i> of his body against Killua’s side, unaware to the racing of Killua’s heart or the way his breath gets caught in his throat. Gon just snuggles into Killua and grabs his computer, resuming the show and leaving Killua suffering in silence as he tries to focus on the show instead of Gon’s warm body heat. What the hell was happening to him? Killua wouldn’t find out until after a chat with Mito the next morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Killua being a little shit to Tonpa is part of my aesthetic. Characters just being out of character and doing things they would never do in cannon is just my vibe. Idk what it is, but I just love being a little chaotic—especially with my writing XD</p><p>Anyway, what did you think? I tried to make it kinda fluffy (after some of the Killugon chapters we’ve had *looks at chapter four accusingly*) so I hope that worked &gt;.&lt;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today’s prompt: <b>Night Sky</b>! This one’s a bit sad, but I think it turned out pretty well.</p><p>This chapter contains characters from My Hero Academia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Mirio called Midoriya to say he had to help Tamaki with something and needed Midoriya to pick Eri up a little bit later, an idea struck the man—the sun was already setting and Midoriya could all but guarantee Eri had never been stargazing before. So in the short amount of time he had before he went to get the girl, he hauled blankets, pillows, flashlights, and snacks to a deserted plain on the UA campus. Then, he retrieved the girl and watched her eyes light up when he showed it to her.</p><p>“I’ve never been stargazing!” She excitedly called as she ran over to the blanket Midoriya laid out on the grass.</p><p>Midoriya chuckled lightly as he followed her over. “I thought you hadn’t, so I wanted you to experience it.”</p><p>“Yeah!” She paused, turning to look at him. “What do you do when you’re stargazing?”</p><p>“Usually you lay on a blanket and look at the stars, but it’s not quite dark enough yet, so I brought snacks and thought we could play some games first.” Eri beamed up at him.</p><p>“What kind of games?”</p><p>“You know… things like tag or ninja, just simple things we can play together. Unless you want me to call Kirishima or Ochako? Would you like them to join us?”</p><p>She shook her head before responding. “No, I want to play with you. Mirio is taking me to see everyone tomorrow.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s right—I almost forgot! You’re coming to watch our training tomorrow!” This time, Eri nodded.</p><p>“I’m a little nervous, but I know it will be okay.”</p><p>“Right! We won’t let anything happen to you. Now, would you like to play tag first?” Eri smiled and nodded once more.</p><p>~</p><p>Two hours later, both collapsed onto the blanket, out of breath and laughing. The moon was rising in the sky and the stars were beginning to glow brightly, and everything was tranquil.</p><p>“You cheated! You can’t use your Quirk to catch me!” Eri giggled as Midoriya laughed.</p><p>“You were just so fast! I couldn’t catch you!” Eri just giggled more as Midoriya smiled at her.</p><p>Midoriya then turned and reached for one of the boxes of Pocky he brought and offered it to the girl, who took it with a smile. Midoriya then got his own box and began nibbling on the candy as he looked up at the sky.</p><p>“Deku…” Eri starts, pausing as she continues to stare into the sky after the man turned to look at her.</p><p>“What is it? Is something wrong?” Midoriya asks after another few seconds of silence. Eri hesitantly opens her mouth again.</p><p>“When you rescued me… there was one person who died.” Midoriya sucked in a breath as he once again waited for the girl to continue.</p><p>“Even though you and Lemillion were there and told me how my Quirk isn’t just destructive, someone still died because of me. How… why did that happen?”</p><p>Midoriya takes a moment to think before answering, looking from the girl’s pleading eyes to the stars above. “When we went to save you, everyone was ready to sacrifice their life for yours. You were so important to us that we decided that if saving you meant dying, we would still do it.”</p><p>“But why? Why would someone die because of me on purpose?”</p><p>“When I first met you, I wanted to save you; I wanted to take you away, but Mirio told me that it wasn’t safe yet—that we had to wait until people like Aizawa-sensei could help us so that you didn’t get hurt. And when it was time to really save you… well, everyone agreed that your safety was more important than anyone else’s.”</p><p>“Even before I knew anything about you, I wanted to rescue you. And when I learned… I only wanted to save you more. Sir Nighteye wasn’t any different than me or Mirio.”</p><p>“That morning, when you jumped out to me, and we defeated Overhaul <i>together</i>—I couldn’t have done it without you or your Quirk—everyone was <i>so happy</i> because we had done it. We saved you. And that includes Sir Nighteye.”</p><p>“But now Sir is up there.” Midoriya pointed to the sky, and he could feel Eri’s eyes move from him to the sky. “And he’s watching us, reminding us to smile even when he’s not here beside us. Because that’s what he wanted—he wanted us to keep smiling and keep filling the world with happiness.”</p><p>“And I think… no matter what happens… that everything will all be alright, so long as we remember him and his words. We can’t change the past, but we <i>can</i> change the future. And that’s what we’ll do.”</p><p>“Deku…” Eri’s voice came out watery and Midoriya quickly turned to see the girl with tears running from her eyes. He panicked, sitting straight up with wide eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry! Please don’t cry! I-I didn’t mean to- I just- please don’t cry!” Midoriya scrambled to find a napkin for the girl as she continued to cry. When he found one, he handed it to the girl and she began wiping at her tears, sniffling loudly.</p><p>“Don’t cry because he’s gone, smile because he lived.” The girl nods, tears still trailing down her face, but a shaky smile on her lips.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sir Nighteye’s final words (as said in episode 77, sub): “A society without cheer and humor… will not have… a bright future…”</p><p>Bro, this was really good to write, even if I almost cried. I felt that it was bittersweet and sounded like sound that would <i>possibly</i> happen in canon. Also, I hope I wrote Eri well—seven year olds don’t talk how I do, so it was a bit difficult to make it sound right.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Greek Goddess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is probably one of my favorite prompts and chapters overall. The prompt is <b>On Your Knees</b> and it could have gone two ways—sexual or aggressive. From the previous chapters, which do you think is more likely?</p><p>This chapter contains original characters I simply made up on the spot XD</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Lord Crewe of the West began raising his voice while in council, I became very wary. Lord Crewe had a history of letting his anger drive him—and this seemed to be no exception. So when he stood from his seat at the council table and started marching his way towards where the Queen is sitting, I immediately feel a swell of protectiveness wash over me.</p><p>“Your Majesty, we cannot risk leaving our troops here when the Rareya Kingdom to the right is growing hostile! We need to act now before they have the chance to attack us first!” He seethes, rage rolling off of him in waves. The Queen, however, looks less than amused but otherwise calm.</p><p>As soon as Lord Crewe gets within a few feet of her majesty, I jump out in front of her, blocking his view. His face contorts in anger as he glares down at where I’m standing. If he could, I’m sure he would have steam pouring from his ears and fire dripping from his tongue.</p><p>“You mere servant, what do you think you’re doing? Move away from the Queen at once. This does not concern you,” he growls, but I stand to my full height—I am still shorter than him by a few inches, but it’s less noticeable now—and match his glare with one of my own.</p><p>“I cannot allow you to get near Her Majesty when rage controls you,” I remark, the ice in my tone seeming to only provoke his flames more.</p><p>“Why you unruly servant—hasn’t anyone told you your place in court? You are to stand at the edge of the room and stand silently, <i>not</i> get in the way or insult someone <i>much</i> more important than you could ever hope to be.” I don’t even blink as he leans into my space, the veins under his skin seeming to pop out to show his fury.</p><p>“If none other are willing to protect the Queen from a Lord such as yourself, then I have every right to take that responsibility myself. Please return to your seat before others come to their senses and demand the same.”</p><p>“You little—you <i>dare</i> to speak to me like that? I’ll deal with your rebellion myself if you continue to refuse obedience.” He takes another step forward and I remain where I stand like a tree rooted deep in the Earth.</p><p>“I would give my life for the Queen in a heartbeat, can the likes of you say the same?“ He raises a hand at me and is about to strike just as the Queen stands from her seat behind me.</p><p>“That is <i>quite</i> enough,” she declares, and I don’t have to turn to see anger flash in her emerald eyes.</p><p>“Your Majesty, I—” the lord starts before the Queen is speaking over him.</p><p>“You have no right to approach me or threaten my staff the way you have. I will ask you once to return to your seat, or see to it that you are removed from this council room immediately,” the Queen’s tone is calm, but there is an underlying anger that has Lord Crewe closing his mouth with an audible <i>click</i> and taking two steps back in shock.</p><p>“Your Majesty, what—” he begins before once again getting cut off by the Queen.</p><p>“Mirabelle, I thank you for your concern, but you may return to your stance against the wall.”</p><p>I turn and bow to the Queen, taking notice of the way her eyes shine darkly. “Of course, Queen Athena. Thank you.”</p><p>I silently step back to my place against the wall of the council room wall and watch as the rest of the room—on the exception of the Queen—stays frozen in place. The Queen, however, seems to be just beginning her speech.</p><p>“Lord Crewe of the West, do you wish to be dismissed from this council?” The Queen asks, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from smiling wickedly at the awestruck look on the Lord’s face.</p><p>“I—<i>what</i>? Your Majesty, what are you—”</p><p>“I have asked you once to return to your seat and you disobeyed. I will ask you to leave if you do not obey soon, and you shall be forcibly removed if you still cannot obey my word.” Lord Crewe just stares a moment more before stumbling backwards and back towards his chair.</p><p>“Now, if there are none others that wish to follow Lord Crewe’s example, let us continue our council without a moment’s hesitance.” Once more, I have to bite my tongue to avoid smiling from the prideful swell in my chest.</p><p>The room remains silent and the Queen takes her seat again, graceful as always. The Queen looks over the council members, waiting for someone to speak up. Lord Balwke of the South clears his throat before opening his mouth to speak.</p><p>“Your Majesty, if I may?” He receives a nod. “I do not think that leaving the troops here instead of sending them towards the border is a wise choice. I advise that you consider sending at least a portion of the army to discourage an attack from occurring.”</p><p>“I disagree. All of the troops shall remain where they stand now, and there will be no further discussion on this topic.”</p><p>“But, Your Majesty—”</p><p>“I said that there would be no further discussion on this topic. Shall I order a visit to the doctor to have your hearing checked, Lord Balwke?”</p><p>“N-no, Your Majesty.” Lord Balwke lowers his head and begins watching the table closely.</p><p>“Dear, I do not believe this to be the proper way to go about this manor. We should-” Prince Phelian begins, raising a hesitant hand and looking pleadingly at his wife. She turns against him with her chin held high.</p><p>“My name is Queen Athena, the name of a goddess granted great wisdom and battle strategy. These gifts have also been bestowed upon me, as I share a name with the almighty. Is there another here at this council who can disprove this?” The Queen sits tall in her chair and sends a look around the room that demands someone to defy her. Nobody does.</p><p>“Then I shall assume that I will have the final word on this. And my word has decided that there will be no action taken by the army at this time. Does this displease any gathered here?” Again, the Queen is met with silence.</p><p>“Y-Your Majesty, I do not wish to upset you, but I believe that this matter is out of your authority. The war council is governed by the Lords and the Prince, not by Her Majesty,” the quiet voice of Lord Mirath of the West calls.</p><p>The Queen immediately closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. When she has taken a breath, she stands and opens her eyes, emerald flashing fiercely. I nearly pity Lord Mirath, but recognise that he is very much deserving of Her Majesty’s wrath.</p><p>“What are you? What is your social rank?” The Queen calmly says, still standing from her chair and with eyes boring into the Lord in question.</p><p>“A Lord, Your Majesty,” he chokes out, seeming to sweat in his seat.</p><p>“Dear, this truly has gone far enough. Lord Mirath meant no harm. Please, take your seat,” Prince Phelian says, standing from his chair and stepping towards the Queen. She immediately turns on him.</p><p>“I agree, this <i>has</i> gone on long enough. This council has gone on long enough. I deem it fit for adjournment. Are there any displeased with this?” Though she asked the question seemingly to the entire council, the Queen continues to stare straight through Prince Phelian.</p><p>“Athena, you are starting to—” My eyes widen as the words leave Prince Phelian’s tongue. The Queen’s concealed calm is now broken and her anger is clear in her eyes and the way her lip curls in a snarl.</p><p>“I am a Queen—you, dear, are a Prince,” she declares with a loud, booming voice before she turns towards the Lords cowering behind him. “And you—all of you—I could have you all beheaded for talking to me in the wrong tone of voice. Is that what you wish? Your head to be in a basket like the French?”</p><p>Silence meets her question, and she glares harsher at them. “No? Then I suppose you get on your knees and beg for me forgiveness. I am no delicate flower, and I will never stand for harsh treatment from those beneath me. This council is <i>adjourned</i>.”</p><p>The Queen turns away from the room and towards me, where I quickly move to the doors and open them for the Queen to pass through. As soon as she is through, I close the doors behind myself and we leave the silent council room behind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oof, alright! I hope that sounded at least halfway decent, I’m definitely not used to writing for semi-medieval peeps. I couldn’t decide if I wanted them to really be medieval or European (although Queen Athena is probably at least distantly Greek bc of her name’s origin) so I kinda left a few things to the imagination and I hope it worked out. Tell me what you envisioned them to look like in the comments!</p><p>Anyways, that wraps up Corntober! I hope you all enjoyed reading my random little stories as much as I enjoyed writing them! If you kinda vibed with my writing, I’ve got a couple other stories you could check out if you felt like it, but otherwise, I wish you luck in finding the next wonderful story! And thank you so much for reading!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Any and all comments are welcome and I hope you have an amazing life &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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